A woman who stole personal belongings from vulnerable patients has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

June Weatherman, 50, of no fixed address, was jailed on Thursday, September 25, after being convicted of 15 charges of theft and fraud.

Between September 2013 and January 2014, Weatherman took items from patients in hospitals including St Peter's Hospital, Chertsey, approaching the beds of elderly victims before taking items including cash, jewellery and bank cards under the guise of being a hospital worker.

Weatherman then used the stolen bank cards to fraudulently withdraw money in Essex, Cambridgeshire, Kent and London.

As part of the investigation, Surrey Police released several CCTV images of Weatherman seen in Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow, at about the time of the thefts, and she was arrested after a witness appeal on Tuesday, January 14.

She faced an indictment of 20 charges.

Temporary Detective Sergeant Andy Jenkins said: "Weatherman's brazen actions in targeting and deceiving elderly and vulnerable patients whilst in the process of receiving medical care were particularly callous acts on her part - the impact this sort of offence can have on the victims and their families cannot be underestimated.

"Fortunately incidents of this kind are uncommon - I hope that the custodial sentence given to Weatherman acts as a deterrent to anyone considering preying on the vulnerable in such a cold and calculated manner and also illustrates the seriousness of these crimes."