A Belvedere burglar has admitted to charges after playing a role in a distraction burglary of an elderly couple earlier this year.

Shaun Varey, 28 and of Norman Road, was arrested on February 27 and later charged, along with two other men, for the incident which occurred at an address in Ingatestone.

One of the men had knocked on the door of the home in Heybridge Road, on January 28 claiming to be from British Rail and said his name was ‘Matthew’.

"Matthew" told a man in his 80s who lives at the address that they were going to put a fence at the bottom of their garden and he wanted to discuss it.

He was then allowed into the house and taken through to the garden where they were joined by a second man.

A woman in her 80s who also lives at the property also joined them and "Matthew" and his apparent colleague discussed the cost for cutting down a tree in the garden and removing the waste.

After the victim’s said they would think about it, the men left.

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At around the same time a neighbour had called police to report people moving around upstairs in the same property despite the occupants still being in the garden.

They took a photo of a van outside the address which they then saw a group of people getting into.

A short time later two officers spotted the van driving towards Brentwood on Chelmsford Road and followed it to the junction of Holmwood Avenue and Chelmsford Road.

At this point people inside the van got out and two were seen running off.

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One man was arrested standing next to the van, while two other people were discovered hiding in a bush a short time later.

All three were arrested and later charged with burglary.

The van was forensically recovered and items including a jewellery box containing jewellery and a coin collection were found inside.

The victims later identified the jewellery and coin collection as having been taken from their home.

Jesse Hughes, 23, of St Thomas Road, Luton later admitted burglary while Shane Campbell, 25, of Wells Garden, Basildon denied the charge.

The case against the 14 year-old boy was later dismissed at court..

Like Hughes, Varey also admitted the charge.

Campbell was found not guilty following a trial at Basildon Crown Court on Wednesday, June 19.

Varey and Hughes are due to be sentenced at the same court next month.