A MAN accused of stealing a 95-year-old woman's pension money claimed that he was a victim of mistaken identity.John Powell, 19, told a jury at Ipswich Crown Court that the daughter of the pensioner was wrong when she said she saw him in the hallway of her mother's flat on the day the money went missing.

A MAN accused of stealing a 95-year-old woman's pension money claimed that he was a victim of mistaken identity.

John Powell, 19, told a jury at Ipswich Crown Court that the daughter of the pensioner was wrong when she said she saw him in the hallway of her mother's flat on the day the money went missing.

Powell, of Shetland Close, Ipswich, has denied burglary at the home of Violet Mills in Roundwood Road, Ipswich, on July 3 last year.

It has been alleged that Mrs Mills' daughter Heather Hume entered her mother's flat and saw Powell.

She said she recognised Powell because they had lived for many years in the same road and Powell had done odd jobs for her.

Mrs Hume had screamed and the intruder had run off. When Mrs Mills came in from her garden after hearing her daughter scream, she discovered £130 cash was missing from her handbag.

A Palm print found on the front door of the flat was later found to match one taken from Powell.

Giving evidence Powell claimed he had been to a friend's house in Ipswich on the day of the alleged burglary and denied being the person seen in Mrs Mills' hall.

He said although he told police he had never been to Mrs Mills' flat in Roundwood Road, he later remembered that he visited the flat once and had helped Mrs Hume carry some shopping.

He denied inventing the visit to the flat after discovering that his palm print had been found on Mrs Mills' front door.

The jury is expected to retire to consider its verdict today.