Two men who burgled an elderly woman’s Cambridgeshire home after seeing she had been rushed to hospital have been jailed for three years.

David Cooper, 52, and David Bowler, 65, jumped at the opportunity after realising the Peterborough house was unoccupied.

The victim, and 83-year-old woman who has since died, had fallen ill on the morning of July 16 and was taken to the city hospital.

The next day, one of her neighbours noticed that one of the woman’s patio doors had been smashed and called the police.

A court heard how more than £7,500 of jewellery belonging to the woman’s late husband was stolen, as well as bank cards which were then used to withdraw £900 in Leicestershire.

Bowler, of Garden Close, Oadby, was jailed for three years at Cambridge Crown Court on Tuesday, November 20, after pleading guilty to burglary and two counts of fraud by false representation at a previous hearing.

Cooper, of Duke Street, Nuneaton, was also jailed for three years yesterday after he was found guilty of burglary and two counts of fraud by false representation following a two-day trial at the same court last week.

DC Justin Parr said: “Bowler and Cooper are lifetime criminals with more than 70 convictions between them.

“The pair showed no regard for whose home they were breaking into and their actions were despicable.

“Sadly the victim died on October 19 last year but I hope this sentence brings a sense of closure to her family so that they can move on with their lives.”

Officers identified the pair from CCTV at various cash machines in Oadby, near Leicester

Bowler’s blue Peugeot 206, was traced from the victim’s home to each cash machine they used to withdraw money.