Thief caught on camera asking pensioner, 97, for the time so that she can steal his wallet with £450 inside Female thief described as eastern European or Asian She was potentially working with a male accomplice Widower Leslie Parsonage says he is now too scared to go out A thief has been caught on camera stealing a wallet containing £450 from a vulnerable 97-year-old man. A thin 5ft 6in woman of eastern European or Asian descent was captured by CCTV distracting pensioner Leslie Parsonage by asking him for the time. While the obliging man looked at his watch, she swiped his wallet which contained his £450 of his pension from his jacket pocket before walking off and putting on a white hat. Polite enquiry: The thief asks Mr Parsonage for the time posing to be a friendly stranger Wicked: She walks away with then elderly man's wallet in her hand. It contained £450 of his pension in cash A possible male accomplice is also seen near the scene of the crime on Fryern Arcade in Chandler's Ford, Hampshire. The stress of the incident is believed to have led to Mr Parsonage being rushed to Southampton General Hospital for treatment on a blood clot in his left leg. Fortunately the victim pulled through but his family believe the traumatic ordeal led to his health deteriorating. At one stage, they were warned he may not survive. The distraught pensioner has since vowed never to return to the shopping arcade again, even though it was his only outing every week. Walk of shame: The woman picks up pace as she strides away from the pensioner who is unaware he has been a victim of the crime Suspects: Another man wearing a long black coat and cap, above right, has been identified as a potential accomplice Mr Parsonage's great nephew Russell Leggett today said: 'My biggest worry is that this woman does it again to another elderly, vulnerable person. 'It could end up being life-threatening for someone of that age but these thieves don't think about that. He has ended up in hospital possibly as a result of the theft because doctors believe the stress could have triggered it all. It is disgusting what she has done. He was obviously frail and vulnerable, he had his white stick with him, and yet she still struck. This has really knocked him and changed his life. It may have even shortened it. Fear: Mr Parsonage insists that he will no longer venture to the shopping arcade despite it being his only trip out of the house We just hope that if anyone recognises her from the images that they will come forward and help stop her from doing it again. The distraction theft is similar to those carried out by fellow eastern Europeans and spotted by cameras in the French capital of Paris last week. At least three members of a Roma gang were seen trying to distract and steal money from a bespectacled pensioner as he withdrew money from a cashpoint. In Britain, distraction thefts are commonly associated with gangs of organised petty thieves. This year Cashpoint card snatches were said to have treble with Romanian crime gangs responsible for 92 per cent of thefts from cash machines.