A heavyweight boxing champion has urged people to remain vigilant after his grandmother was victim of a sneak-in burglary.

Sam Sexton, who held the British heavyweight title from 2017 until 2018, has told of how his 71-year-old nan has been left “shaken-up” after somebody crept into her home while she slept and emptied the contents of a money jar and her purse into his pockets and fled.

The incident happened at around 2am on Tuesday, April 21 and while it was initially reported to the police Mr Sexton said his grandmother did not opt to pursue it further as she was anxious about a police officer coming to her home amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said: “She lives on her own as my grandfather died a while ago so she is really quite shaken up by it all. It’s not even the money, it is the thought of a stranger being in her home while she was asleep.

“It’s easy to sometimes forget to lock your door so I think people just need to be aware that there are people out there trying doors.

“It’s a horrible situation at the moment and lots of people out there who can’t work or are bored so will do whatever they can to make some money or take advantage of people.”

Mr Sexton added that his grandmother, who lives near Waterloo Park in Norwich, had received support from her neighbours after the burglary, and that he hoped her story would encourage others to be more alert.

The incident was caught on CCTV by one of her neighbours, which Mr Sexton has shared on social media.

He added: “Her neighbours have spoken to her over the fence and whatnot, but she is really quite shaken up by it.

“I posted about it on Facebook and more than 1,000 people have seen it so I’m sure whoever did it has seen it himself - so hopefully he knows we are alert to it.

“It also reminds you how important it is to look out for your neighbours, even if we have to do it at a distance.”