A 'BRAZEN' thief who pretended to be a member of hospital staff in order to steal belongings from patients' bedsides has been jailed for seven years.

June Weatherman took items from victims at hospitals across the south east, including Northwick Park Hospital in Watford Road, Harrow, between September 2013 and January 2014.

The 50-year-old, of no fixed address, was found guilty of 15 charges of theft and fraud at Guildford Crown Court on Thursday September 25.

Surrey Police released several CCTV images of Weatherman at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow around the time of the theft and following the witness appeal, she was arrested on January 14
Surrey Police released several CCTV images of Weatherman at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow around the time of the theft and following the witness appeal, she was arrested on January 14

Jurors were told Weatherman pretended to be a hospital worker in order to approach the beds of the elderly patients before taking items including cash, jewellery and bank cards.

She later used the stolen bank cards to fraudulently withdraw money at locations in Essex, Cambridgeshire, Kent and London.

Surrey Police released several CCTV images of Weatherman at Northwick Park Hospital around the time of the theft and following the witness appeal, she was arrested on January 14 this year.

Temporary Detective Sergeant Andy Jenkins said: "I would like to thank the members of the public who came forward to identity June Weatherman.

"Weatherman's brazen actions in targeting and deceiving elderly and vulnerable patients [who were] in the process of receiving medical care were particularly callous acts on her part.

"The impact this sort of offence can have on the victims and their families cannot be underestimated.

"Fortunately incidents of this kind are uncommon - I hope that the custodial sentence given to Weatherman today acts as a deterrent to anyone considering preying on the vulnerable in such a cold and calculated manner and also illustrates the seriousness of these crimes.”

Weatherman also carried out thefts at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent; Springfield Hospital and Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, Essex;  St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey, Surrey, and at St Bartholomew's Hospital in east London.