Online campaign started after bogus callers steal £11,000 from elderly couple
An online campaign has been set up to try and help raise money for the couple
Bogus water officials conned an elderly couple into opening their front door – and then made off with £11,000 of their hard-earned savings.
Kath Chetter innocently let a man into her home after he claimed the mains on their road in Great Wyrley had burst and he needed to turn off their water for a couple of hours.
Her husband Ray was ill in bed upstairs, and it was only when 83-year-old Mrs Chetter saw a second man in her living room with a bag in his hand, that she realised she was being burgled.
The three thieves made off with £11,000 in cash, which the great-grandparents had been saving to plan their funerals, and three valuable blue crested chickens.
Mrs Chetter said she now fears for her safety following the incident. She said: “We are getting there but it was such a nasty experience. I wouldn’t like it to happen to anyone else.”
Her daughter Maggi Reddall added: “It was dreadful, a horrendous experience - it could have been so much worse.”
Shaken
“Mum was completely alone. She has one badly replaced knee, another not-so-great knee and two crutches. They could have knocked her over. I’m still shaken.
“At first she was all ready to move out completely, but she’s getting better. They’ve got each other and mum’s gradually calming down now. She says she can’t believe how kind people have been.”
The couple’s neighbours came round as soon as they realised what had happened, and the police have taken fingerprints and done door to door searches - but Mrs Chetter said her confidence had been shattered and that she would ‘never trust again’.
She added: “We are getting there. We’ve installed CCTV now and burglar alarms and door chains, which was helped me feel a little more confident. I know it’s a bit late now but better late than never.”
A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: “We are warning people to be on their guard against suspicious callers at the door.
“The families of the elderly and vulnerable are also being encouraged to warn their relatives against opening the door to such callers.”
Family are now trying to raise money to help recover what Mr and Mrs Chetter lost during the burglary on March 13.
Visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/matthew-boddice to donate.
