A cold-calling roofer who tricked his way into the home of a housebound 83-year-old man and stole cash from his bedroom drawer has been jailed for three years.

Drug addict Darren Stones cleaned out the gutters at the home of his trusting victim and then offered to fix loose tiles for an extra £30, Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday.

While working on the property, Stones pretended to want to use the toilet and searched the man’s bedroom for valuables, escaping with at least £80.

Stones, 41, of Poplar View, Lightcliffe, near Brighouse, pleaded guilty to burgling the man’s home on February 1.

Prosecutor Kathryn Walsh said he was a “three strikes” offender, having received two previous court sentencings for house-breaking.

Miss Walsh said Stones’s elderly victim described his crime as “despicable.” He told the police he could have lived for a week on the £80 that Stones said he stole.

She said the Crown’s case was that Stones actually got away with £300, brought to the house by the man’s daughter and concealed under clothing in the drawer.

Stones’s barrister, Imran Shafi, said his criminal record read like “the CV of a Class A drug user”, but his last burglary was committed eight years ago.

Mr Shafi said Stones, who was in custody, fully expected to go to jail.

He told his probation officer: “I don’t deserve a community sentence because of the age of the fellow.”

Mr Shafi said Stones had battled alone with his drug addiction, managing to keep on working as a roofer.

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC described Stones’s victim as a “salt of the earth, hardworking and trusting man.”

“Knowing the house, knowing the gentleman, knowing his age, you tricked a visit to the upstairs and stole his money,” the judge said.

He branded the offence depraved, wicked and sordid.

Judge Durham Hall said Stones did clean out the gutters at the man’s house, but it would take an expert to decide if any roofing work had been carried out.

Stones pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and there were many years since his last conviction for burglary.

After the case, Detective Constable Eileen Walsh, of Calderdale CID, said: “Stones preyed on a vulnerable, elderly man by gaining his trust before stealing money. We hope that the sentence today serves as a warning to others who may be thinking of committing a similar crime.

“We would urge residents not to allow anyone into their home unless they are expecting a visit from a legitimate company and to always check their identification.”