A distraction burglar has been jailed for eight years for 'cynically, clinically and coldly' preying on elderly people.

Terence Pollard, 55, targeted people living in sheltered accommodation in Sheringham and Brooke, Norwich Crown Court heard yesterday.

Lindsay Cox, prosecuting, told the court Pollard, of Hobart Square, Norwich, struck three times on August 4.

During the early afternoon he knocked at the door of a 79-year-old widow in Sheringham and let himself in, walking in to her living room. He said he was looking for someone, giving her a man's name and asking her if she knew where he lived. She did not.

Pollard then sat on the sofa and struck up a conversation. After two minutes or so he left.

The woman, who is confined to a wheelchair, realised her handbag had been opened. Her purse, containing �5 in cash, various store cards and loyalty cards and a photograph of her late husband, had been taken.

'She became upset and tearful after the event. She described having little sleep over the next two or three days and was left far more nervous than she had been prior to this event,' said Mr Cox.

Pollard then visited the nearby home of an 80-year-old woman, asking if she knew of a man called Paul Davis, a name Pollard had previously been known to use. She said she didn't, and did not let him in.

At 8.40pm he visited a sheltered housing complex in Brooke, walking into the home of a 73-year-old man through an unlocked door. Pollard told the man he had been out walking and asked for a glass of water. The man offered him a cup of coffee.

Pollard then asked the man to show him some watches on display in the living room. The man did so, but, becoming suspicious, did not let go of them. Pollard also asked to use the toilet and received two calls on his mobile phone. He left after about 15 minutes, having stolen nothing.

Meanwhile, neighbours had called the police and officers saw Pollard approach a Renault Clio parked outside with two other people inside. He was arrested.

Records showed his mobile phone had been used earlier in the day to receive calls in Sheringham. Pollard initially denied the offences, and then admitted one burglary and two attempted burglaries.

Michael Clare, defending, said Pollard was keen to understand why he habitually offended but had been denied a psychological report.

He said Pollard accepted he had been 'institutionalised' after spending many years in prison. He said the value of the items stolen had been low and there had been a 'lack of sophistication' about his crimes. There had been no threatened or actual violence, he added.

Judge Peter Jacobs gave Pollard some credit for his guilty pleas. Referring to the victim in the Sheringham burglary, he said: 'She was wheelchair-bound and therefore comparatively helpless. One can only imagine how she felt with a stranger entering her room.

'You not only stole her �5, you destroyed some of her memories.'

The court heard Pollard had a long list of previous offences and had spent many years in jail. 'You have got an appalling record from the time you were a juvenile. You committed a wide variety of burglaries, robberies and even serious sexual offences,' said the judge.

'This is not a case for a psychiatric report. The only thing that is wrong with you is that you quite cynically, clinically and coldly prey on vulnerable people with total indifference to the effect that will have on their well-being.'

Det Sgt Pete Jessop, of Norfolk police's Operation Radar, which targets doorstep crime, said: 'Judge Jacobs got it spot-on and the court clearly shares Norfolk police's hardline stance against distraction burglary. It affects people not just financially but emotionally and physically.

'This is a crime against vulnerable, infirm and elderly people and the message to offenders is 'We will catch you'.'