Leeds cat burglar pretended to be dog shampoo saleswoman

In a separate burglary, Somon Stocks tried to trick a disabled by offering to sell her dog shampoo in order to get into her home.

The 40-year-old mum-of-four was jailed for 18 months over the offences in the Kirkstall area.

A court heard the former businesswoman turned to crime to fund her addiction to drugs.

Stocks targeted the first victim at her home on May 7 last year.

Leeds Crown Court heard she tried to sell the woman dog shampoo.

The 58-year-old victim told Stocks to leave and not come back.

Stocks returned to the house the next day with another offer to sell her dog shampoo but she was again told to get out.

As she was leaving, she petted the woman's dog in the hallway and snatched two packets of cigarettes from a table.

Stocks was challenged and gave one packet back before leaving.

The defendant was arrested and claimed she had been invited into the house.

Stocks carried out another burglary on January 31 this year

She was seen climbing out of a window of a house streets away from the first victim .

The 72-year-old male victim returned home to find his laptop and mobile phone had been stolen from the house.

They were worth a total of £600.

David Ward, prosecuting, said Stocks had got into the property through a skylight in the bathroom.

Speaking about the victims, Mr Ward said: "It would appear they are people in her local area who know her."

In a statement, the male victim said he had tried to help the victim on previous occasions by offering her lifts.

He said the burglary meant he lost contact information at a time when he was trying to organise an event.

Stocks, of Lea Farm Road, Kirkstall, pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary.

She has 18 previous convictions for 52 offences.

The court heard Stocks had been out of trouble for nine years and had her own business but relapsed into taking drugs

Christopher Dunn, mitigating, said: "Now she is clean, she considers it abhorrent.

"She had never done burglaries before."