CHIPPENHAM NEWS: A THIEF believed to be as young as 14 stole hundreds of pounds from a pensioner after distracting her in a shop.
The 80-year-old woman from Chippenham was shopping in Woolworths, in High Street at 1pm on Friday when a teenager approached her.
The boy, described as Asian and aged 14 or 15, stopped her to ask questions about shopping.
She later checked her handbag and found a purse with £500 had been stolen.
A police spokesman said: "We all hear of cases where such people are targeted while they are out shopping with handbags and are extremely vulnerable.
"We urge anyone with information to come forward."
The victim described the teenage thief as Asian, around 5ft 5ins tall, with a round face and an accent, having flat, dark hair, and dressed in a dark jacket or blazer. She alerted security staff at Woolworths who contacted police.
Police said the elderly woman was very distressed following the theft.
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