A burglar who posed as a window cleaner to steal from a pensioner has been jailed after leaving behind evidence on a cup of tea. David Langford, 48, cold-called his 69-year-old victim on June 20.
He asked to use the bathroom before getting a 'mate' to help him clean the windows. He took a swig of tea, which the woman had made for him, and then left the address.
The victim noticed her purse containing cash and cards was missing from her bag shortly afterwards and contacted police. Officers took DNA from the cup and forensically match it to Langford, who had previous convictions for distraction burglary.
The bungling crook was caught in exactly the same way six years ago when he left his DNA on a mug of water at another OAP's house. He was jailed in 2016 for five years after tricking pensioners out of hundreds of pounds again by pretending to be a window cleaner.
This time he was arrested at his home in Hodge Hill, Birmingham, and admitted in police interview to stealing the purse as he owed money. Langford went on to plead guilty to burglary and was jailed for three years and two months at Birmingham Crown Court last Friday.
Speaking when he was previously jailed, Detective Constable Tom Lyons, from West Midlands Police, said: "Langford tricked his way into the homes of vulnerable, elderly people. He preyed on the trust of these women and I have no doubt would have struck again if he hadn't been caught by officers.
"We will use all the techniques we have at our disposal to catch criminals, including DNA which enabled us to link Langford in this case. I would encourage everyone - particularly the elderly and vulnerable - to be on their guard if someone calls unexpectedly at your door."
