A thief who posed as an antiques dealer to steal jewellery from a Stanmore pensioner has been jailed for nearly two years.

Lee Collins, 45, of Dyke Road Avenue, Brighton, knocked on the door of the 73-year-old victim’s home on June 22 last year claiming to represent a gallery from his hometown and asking if she had antiques she wanted valuing.

After she let Collins into her house, agreed an £80 fee for jewellery she wanted to sell, and let him leave, she realised that other jewellery was missing and that he had only paid her £60.

At Harrow Crown Court on Thursday, Collins was sentenced to 20 months in jail after being found guilty of theft.