A burglar who targeted pensioners has been jailed.

Amos Smith was sentenced to four years in prison after he pleaded guilty to stealing a wallet from a house in Rectory Fields, Cranbrook.

On Monday, August 28, a man and a woman in their 70s were gardening at a relative's house when they saw Smith walk out of the side door with something hidden behind his back.

The woman challenged the 38-year-old, and Smith asked if they wanted any rubbish removed.

He then ran off and the woman, realising he was holding her husband's wallet, tried to hit him with her plastic bucket but missed.

The woman and her husband chased him, but lost sight of him, and when they returned to the house they confirmed that the wallet, containing £200 cash and credit cards, had been stolen.

Smith was later arrested on Thursday, September 14, and denied committing the offence in interview.

He was however later charged after being selected in an identification procedure.

The 38-year-old, of no fixed address, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court yesterday, having already been recalled to prison for breaching his probation licence.

Detective Inspector Graham Curtis said: "Smith had been released from prison for only 69 days at the time of his arrest for this crime.

"He is a prolific offender and has spent about 20 of his 38 years in prison. This latest sentence will ensure his often vulnerable victims are protected from further offending.

"Kent Police would like to thank the victims and witnesses who assisted the investigators to bring this man to justice."