A BURGLAR who posed as a police officer to con his way into the homes of elderly people and steal their savings has been jailed.

Michael Connors, 25, of Southbury Road, Enfield, targeted 25 people aged between 79 and 100 in four months.

He carried out a spate of distraction burglaries across Waltham Forest, Enfield, Barnet, Haringey, Forest Gate, Kent and Hertfordshire.

He first stole £30 from an 85-year-old woman by flashing a phony police badge at the front door and saying he’d been asked to fit CCTV inside.

Using the same technique, he later stole over a thousand pounds from an elderly woman who had put the money aside to pay for her friend’s funeral.

Connors was caught on February 26 this year after he was stopped in Stoke Newington driving a vehicle used to escape from a burglary in Kent.

He was charged on May 20 with 25 counts of conspiracy to commit burglary and impersonating a police officer and jailed for two years and ten months on November 23 at Wood Green Crown Court.

Detective Constable Stuart Miller, of Enfield's Docket Unit: “This was a despicable crime against vulnerable people and Connors preyed on their vulnerability.

“I hope Connors' sentence can go some way in assisting the victims who were deceived by him. I also hope this case will serve as a reminder to everyone to be on their guard against strangers who call at their house.

"Always phone the organisation the person states to come from to make sure that a visit had been arranged. A genuine caller won't mind. The basic rule is if you don't know the person at your door don't let them in.”