A Winnipeg man has admitted to a string of brazen robberies in which he gained access to his victims’ homes by posing as a handyman.

Wilfred Dennis Lavallee, 62, will be sentenced later this spring after pleading guilty on Tuesday to 12 counts of break, enter commit indictable offence. All of the crimes occurred between 2007 and 2010 in various parts of the city.

Crown attorney Vic Bellay told court Lavallee would often target elderly or disabled residents and claimed he was there to perform a variety of tasks, from touching up paint jobs to inspecting home appliances.

Once inside, Lavallee would wait for an opportunity when the victim wasn’t looking and steal whatever he could get his hands on. He made off with a large quantity of jewellery, cash and bank and credit cards which he would quickly use to make purchases before the victim was even aware they’d been stolen.

In one case, Lavallee even sneaked into a child’s bedroom and stole $130 from a piggybank, court was told.

www.mikeoncrime.com