A HEARTLESS woman posed as a grieving mum to con staff out of more than £100 at a Winchester supermarket.

The suspect, pictured, claimed that her twin babies had died and asked for a refund on an assortment of goods including nappies, a steriliser and breast pumps.

Sympathetic staff at Tesco in Easton Lane, Winnall, responded to her plea and gave her a full refund before discovering that they had been callously duped.

A Tesco spokesman said: "We are taken aback that someone could take advantage of our goodwill in this way. Our staff were more than happy to help this lady who they thought was grief-stricken. When they found out, they were shocked and upset for being taken advantage of. It is absolutely disgusting.

"We would urge anyone with information to come forward because, if she tells those kinds of lies without a second thought, who knows what she will do next?"

The suspect walked into the store at about 2.40am on Tuesday, July 20.

She browsed the aisles for a few minutes before picking up various baby items. The woman then placed the goods in a carrier bag which she took from an unattended till.

She asked a member of staff for the manager's name before approaching a different cashier moments later.

The suspect asked for a refund on the items, saying it had been authorised by the store manager, and giving his name.

She claimed the items had been bought for her twin babies who had died, so she no longer needed them.

Compassionate staff gave her the refund of more than £100.

Shortly afterwards, they discovered that several babies items had been removed. The deception was revealed after they checked CCTV footage.

The woman was white and aged between 28 and 35. She wore jeans, a black top and had dark hair.

Crimestoppers co-ordinator Simon Wright said: "It's an appalling crime. This lady blatantly lied and played on the compassions of the staff at Tesco in Winnall. They did everything they could to help her and itturns out she was pulling a fast one."

Anyone with information is urged to ring Crimestoppers free and anonymously on 0800 555111.

A cash reward of up to £500 is on offer.