A prolific burglar who wore an electronic tag while raiding the homes of his elderly victims has been jailed.

Ambrose Treeby, of Queen Street, Paddock Wood, preyed on a pensioner and stole £20,000 out of the 90-year-old's bank account.

Investigators used data from the GPS tag the 39-year-old was wearing, while on licence from prison, to prove he had stolen the cash.

Now a judge has jailed him for 40 months for two burglaries and a fraud, telling him: "You seem determined to spend your life in custody after committing even more frauds and burglaries."

It comes after the victim, who was from Wrotham Road in Borough Green, reported the five figure sum had been removed from her bank account in November.

Prosecutor Mary Jacobson told Maidstone Crown Court how in March Treeby tried to cash a cheque for £8,600 but it was refused by bank officials.

Undaunted, he returned days later and cashed a cheque from the 90-year-old for £20,000 - and then submitted a fake letter from his victim claiming it was for the sale of vans.

Treeby had also talked his way into the home of a second victim in Maidstone, who was recovering from fractured arms and needing a zimmerframe, and tricked her into leaving the room.

There he stole £150 from the 75-year-old's handbag after claiming he was from the housing association.

Recorder Andrew Walker KC was told Treeby had been returned to prison to complete an earlier sentence and planned to make him begin the latests sentence afterwards but was told he couldn't do that in law.

So Treeby will now serve the sentence concurrently with the previous term and is eligible to be released after completing half of the 40 month jail term.

The prosecutor said the offences involved him targetting elderly vulnerable victims, living on their own.

Treeby took her chequebook, which she kept at her home, but in November last year she received a letter from NatWest Bank bank alerting her that £20,000 had been cleared in August.

"She had written no such cheque. She attended her local branch and was shown a copy of the cheque, addressed to "A Treeby" which was paid into his Santander account on August 15.

"Over the next few days, the defendant had withdrawn that money in cash, on September 24 in Tonbridge, he withdrew £5,000 and again the same on that and the next day.

"I hope he is sent to prison so he is not able to target further victims."

"In September he took out £2,900. These were interspersed with withdrawals in Tonbridge for amounts from £50 to £300. He also paid Curry's £708, " she added.

Ms Jacobson told the court that at the time Treeby was wearing a GPS monitoring tag, which showed he had gone from his home to the victim's home at 10 am.

She said that in January he went to the home of his second victim and tricked his way in convincing her he was from the housing association.

The victim later revealed in a statement: "I live by myself and have mobility issues. I have problems with my hands.

"At the time of the burglary I was recovering from an injury, which included two broken fingers on one hand and a broken wrist on the other...I feel very very vulnerable.

"I have been having problems sleeping at night and I am scared to keep any cash inside my house. This is not right and I should not have to feel like this in my own house.

"I hope he is sent to prison so he is not able to target further victims."

Kieran Brand, defending, said Treeby has a drugs problem and each time he is released he gets into debts and returns to stealing to fund his habit.

Treeby was charged with two burglaries and cashing a fraudulent cheque.

Detective constable Josh Littley, said: "Treeby is a callous villain who has stolen cash from elderly victims relying on the trusting nature of one of them to gain access to her home.

"He is a prolific criminal as shown by the way he continued committing offences whilst wearing a GPS tag. This allowed us to gather irrefutable evidence that led to his conviction.

"The vulnerable in our community will certainly be safer while he is in prison."