A BURGLAR who preyed on an elderly woman, and handled a car stolen in Potters Bar, has been caged for three-and-a-half years.

Callous crook William Flynn was sentenced at Luton Crown Court on November 9.

Flynn admitted handling a black BMW 520, which was stolen in a burglary in Mount Grace Road, at an earlier hearing on September 27.

The 33-year-old, of Century Avenue in Milton Keynes, pleaded guilty to the distraction burglary which took place in Breachwood Green, near Luton, in April this year.

And he admitted he had handled a stolen Audi, which was swiped from outside a pub in Broxbourne in January.

He also pleaded guilty to stealing a wallet from a house in Milton Keynes and fraudulent transactions using the victim’s bank card, in March.

Pc Jill Green, from Operation Manhunt, said: “William Flynn managed to get access into the victim’s house through the front door and purported to be selling household goods.

“While the victim was viewing his fake ID, he removed her handbag from its location. The victim became suspicious and asked him to leave which he did so, taking her handbag with him.”

She added: “Distraction burglars tend to prey on the elderly and vulnerable people in our community.”