Burglar pleads guilty to trying to con elderly Luton woman out of thousands of pounds

A burglar has pleaded guilty to attempting to con an elderly woman out of thousands of pounds after tricking his way into her home.

Richard Kiely, 32, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to one count of burglary and two counts of fraud at Luton Crown Court.

He visited the victim’s home in Edgewood Drive, Luton in June – and claimed he was there to clean her drive before stealing her bank cards.

He then tried to use the card at online and local shops.

But the victim called her son, who alerted the bank to the fraudulent transactions.

CCTV images from the victim’s Ring doorbell were circulated on police social media platforms, with the public coming forward to name him as Kiely.

He was also captured on CCTV using the victim’s stolen bank card in a shop.

Detective Constable Lorelle Hathaway, from Bedfordshire Police’s Operation Maze team, said: “Kiely took advantage of his victim’s vulnerability in a brazen attempt to steal from her.

“CCTV was crucial to us solving this case so I would encourage everyone who has the means to do so to install CCTV equipment.

“Burglary is a force priority and every burglary reported to us is attended by an officer, to ensure we capture key evidence to bring those responsible to justice. Our specialist burglary team, Op Maze, will also review every residential burglary.”

Kiely will be sentenced on November 8.

If you have been a victim of crime, you can contact Signpost for free and confidential support, whether the crime has been reported to the police or not.