Banker's £600 gift for blind man, 91, targeted by thieves

A blind man aged 91

George Duell lost the £600 he was keeping to spend on presents for his family when he was duped by a caller at his sheltered housing.

After reading about Mr Duell's plight in the Standard yesterday, City financier Jeremy Gelber immediately phoned us offering to donate the full amount to him.

We arranged for him to give the money to Detective Constable Steve Nicholls, who presented it to Mr Duell, a retired BBC studio attendant, last night. Mr Duell said: "People have been so generous. I'm over the moon."

Mr Gelber, who was not seeking publicity, said: "I was disgusted when I read the story. I do think it's important every year at bonus time to give something to charity and this just seemed the right thing to do." The bogus caller, who had a foreign accent, buzzed the intercom at Mr Duell's Paddington flat, saying he had some shopping for him on December 2. Mr Duell, who is also partly deaf, let him in.

Mr Duell recognised his voice as that of a caller from three days earlier, who had claimed he had a parcel to deliver. On the second occasion, Mr Duell spoke to the man for 10 minutes while an accomplice slipped inside the flat.

The pensioner only realised later that the cash was missing from his bedroom. He had been saving for presents for his daughter and for train fare to visit her in Devon for Christmas.

Mr Gelber was the first of several readers who contacted us to offer donations. Dc Nicholls, who said his office was also "inundated" with similar offers, added: "I want to remind anyone answering their front door to do so with caution if it is a caller they are not expecting."

Anyone with information should call Westminster burglary squad on 020 7321 6882.