A 48-year-old man has been jailed for three years after he was found guilty of stealing from the same person on the same day on four separate occasions.

James Beard, 48, Bossiney Place, Fishermead, Milton Keynes, was found guilty by a unanimous jury at Aylesbury Crown County on Thursday, November 26.

This was in connection to a spate of burglaries that happened on Friday, May 29 this year.

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The crimes, which happened in Calverleigh Crescent in Milton Keynes, were spotted when the family of the victim, who was a woman in her 70s, noticed a large rise in activity on CCTV clips from her house.

The man, who was recognised as Beard, had entered the woman’s home several times under the pretence that he was looking out for her.

Beard was arrested on Thursday, June 11 and was charged with the crimes the following day.

He was then found guilty of four counts of burglary.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Damien Freeman of the Milton Keynes Priority Crime Team, said: “James Beard took advantage of a frail and elderly victim, using the excuse that he was a neighbour and simply making sure she was OK.

“But he had ulterior motives, knowing that his victim suffered from mobility issues and dementia, and entered the house at will four times in the space of four hours with the intention of stealing items belonging to the victim.

“This has been a distressing ordeal, both for the victim, and for her family and I am pleased that Beard is now behind bars.

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“Beard also showed a complete disregard to the health and safety of the victim as these offences took place during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“His selfishness was such that he only thought of his own self-needs, and it took the jury just a matter of minutes to find him guilty of all charges.

“I hope that this sentence will show that Thames Valley Police is committed to tackling such invasive crimes as burglary and that the victim and her family can move on with their lives.”