An elderly woman came face to face with a burglar in her home.
The woman heard her front door opening and went to investigate, finding a man in her hallway.
The man made his excuses and left the woman's home in Barbara Avenue, Kirby Muxloe. She then discovered a number of valuable items were missing.
The stolen items included a black metal tin which contained a number of items, including a Christmas card and a letter her deceased husband had given to her 70 years ago.
The woman's bus pass, a mobile phone, red LOROS diary were also taken.
The incident happened on Monday, June 2, shortly before 2pm.
The suspect is white, approximately 5ft 10ins, thin and in his early-30s.
He has short dark brown hair and was cleanly shaven.
He was wearing a white T-shirt with a small blue 'Nike' tick on the right side of the chest, possibly with a blue trim around the edge of the sleeve and dark navy or black trousers or jeans.
The victim has told police the man had a slight speech impediment, having trouble to pronounce the letter 'r'.
Detective Constable Jess Rippington said: "We would like to hear from anyone who recognises the description of this man or who might have seen him in the area at the time in question.
"Although the items are not extremely valuable, the box especially holds a lot of sentimental value to the victim so we would like if possible to be able to return this to her.
"We would also like to stop him targeting other elderly or vulnerable people."
Contact Det Con Rippington on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.
