A DISTRACTION burglar who targeted an 85-year-old Ribble Valley woman in a nationwide crime spree has been jailed for 11 years.

Neil Seagrave, 49, from Fitzgerald Road in Norwich, admitted 101 offences across 18 police areas between 2008 and 2010.

On May 28, 2009, benefit-claiming Seagrave called at bungalow in quiet cul-de-sac Hazel Grove, Clitheroe, telling the female occupant he was checking plugs.

He asked her to switch the sockets on and off in the kitchen while stealing £360 from her bedroom.

Seagrave spent most his ill-gotten gains on gambling and expensive stays in luxury hotel suites in areas he was planning to target.   The former IT company boss used websites to get information on his victims and would always pretend to be a policeman or an electrician.

A police spokesman said: “Distraction burglary is a despicable offence as it targets the vulnerable, leaving them in fear long after the incident has happened and causing them worry in their own homes.”