Finding a desperate couple at their door, elderly pensioners Frank and Maureen Fox extended the hand of friendship – and invited them in for tea and scones. But their kindness was repaid with cruelty when the pair they had tried to help exploited the situation to steal from their bedroom. Travellers Martin and Winifred Ward lied their way inside the Foxes’ home of almost 60 years after claiming one of them was feeling ill. While retired social worker Mrs Fox, 94, was making a pot of tea and freshly baked scones for the couple, Winifred Ward asked to use an upstairs toilet – and then rifled through belongings to swipe two £80 mobile phones.Heroin addicts conned way into elderly couple's home and stole phonesMartin and Winifred Ward stole mobiles while being given tea and sconesJudge said they exploited generosity of Frank, 92, and Maureen Fox, 94The Wards, both 42, admitted the theft and were each jailed for 17 months
‘It is perhaps typical of their generation that _’s first response was to blame herself. _ has 29 previous convictions including theft and fraud.