A WOMAN who betrayed the trust of a pensioner and helped drug dealers steal eight lethal shotguns from his home has been jailed for five years.

Amanda Morris, of Linden Grove, Leigh, moved in with her 76-year-old neighbour Fred Needham after starting a relationship with him two weeks before the break-in at his home.

The 45-year-old wept and kept protesting her innocence during the sentencing hearing at Liverpool Crown Court today, Thursday, after being found guilty of burglary.

But the judge pointed out that the jury had heard the evidence and convicted her without knowing that she had stolen £1,500 from another elderly neighbour shortly before the burglary.

The unknown burglars, believed to be drug dealers from Liverpool, were driven to Mr Needham's home in Linden Grove by taxi driver Muhammad Ahmed on December 9 on a reconnaissance trip.

The 25-year-old then took them there the next day to commit the offence and drove them back.

Ahmed, a Liverpool John Moores student from Southport, pleaded guilty to the burglary and was jailed for 21 months.

Ken Grant, prosecuting, told the court that Mr Needham's home was burgled shortly after he went to a hospital appointment in the afternoon, leaving an apparently anxious Morris there.

He had known her for 20 years and she had moved in from her home further along the street after breaking up with her partner.

Mr Needham, who has since died, was a retired gamekeeper who legitimately kept guns in a locked cabinet in a converted pantry in his flat, including shotguns, pistols and air rifles, said Mr Grant.

The stolen shotguns were valued at £9,000 but their black market value was 'significantly higher', he said.

Mr Ahmed was traced because a concerned neighbour had noted down the registration number of his vehicle.

When interviewed he said he had been approached by two men while he was in his taxi and had no idea they were to carry out a burglary.

The court heard that he has no previous convictions.

Morris has convictions for dishonesty and was jailed for 12 weeks in January for stealing from the other neighbour, emptying his bank account.

Judge Kevin Grice said that Mr Needham had been targeted by drug dealers and it was 'an inside job' with Morris assisting with keys to the flat and the gun cabinet, which she knew were kept in the fridge.

He said she had committed the offence to get a drug debts written off and her fingerprints had been found on a box in the gun cabinet.

The shotguns have gone into the 'drug underworld' and have not been recovered, the court was told.

Steven Swift, defending, said that Morris has mental health issues and has had had a difficult life.

Detective sergeant Lee Shaw, from Greater Manchester Police, said: “Morris befriended the vulnerable victim, identified what valuables he owned and then positioned herself to strike when the chance arose.

“It is surely no coincidence that she started a relationship with the victim just a couple of weeks before carrying out the burglary, allowing her even closer access to his life so she could steal his firearms while he was out of the way.

“While that is a despicable act in its own right, what is more worrying for the wider public is that these guns have not yet been recovered and have possibly ended up on the illegal weapons market, where they will be available to dangerous criminals.

“The reason we have such tight gun controls in this country is to prevent innocent people being caught up in violent crimes involving firearms.

“Each legitimately-owned gun which ends up in the hands of criminals increases the chances of innocent people being injured or even killed.”