Have you seen this man?

THAMES Valley Police has released an E-fit of a man who carried out a distraction burglary in Longwick, near Thame,  earlier in the month.

At around 8.15pm on May 4, 2016, in Thame Road, Longwick, a man gained entry to the home of an elderly lady, by saying that he worked for the ‘water board’, and told her there was an issue with her water.

Despite being asked for ID which he did not show, the male persuaded the lady to let him in to check the kitchen taps and sink. Whilst he kept her busy, an unknown number of people climbed in through the front, bay windows and searched the house for items to steal.

The victim’s handbag containing money was taken and the offenders then left. The lady was not injured in the incident.

In its press release, TVP stated: “Due to the rural location it might be that the offenders had a car parked nearby.

“The description we have of the man who distracted the victim is of a man of mixed race, a light complexion, aged 25-30 years-old. He was around 5ft 8ins tall, wearing a grey plain woolen hat, clean shaven also wearing soft leather gloves and a jacket.”

Investigating Officer, Det Con Chris Hatton of Force CID based at High Wycombe police station, said: “We are appealing for anyone with information who may have seen a man matching the description or who looks like our E-fit to come forward.

“We are certain that this man was not working alone so if anyone saw a group acting suspiciously, or may have seen people getting into or out of a car on the evening of the May 4, on the Thame Road near Longwick, then please do call us on 101.

“In this case the suspect has been extremely persuasive and would not leave the victim alone. However we would remind people not to let people into their homes who have not shown ID, and we would also remind people to secure windows and doors in unattended rooms if possible.”