ALMOST 270 of the county’s criminals were over the age of 60 last year, with three committing crimes at the grand old age of 79.

There were 269 elderly offenders during 2014 committing 262 crimes across the county, according to police statistics.

But this is the lowest it has been in five years, down 15 per cent – 45 crimes – from 2013.

The number has been dropping steadily since 2010 when there were 375 crimes committed by the over-60s.

Disgraced Tory Vale of White Horse District councillor John Morgan, 75, was jailed in January 2014 for five years after stealing £154,000 from an elderly Alzheimer’s sufferer.

He stole the money between 2005 and 2012 and frittering it away on service station fruit machines and trips to Las Vegas.

Judith Bennett, of Chalgrove Age Concern branch, said: “I’m amazed. When you think about the criminal profile you don’t usually think about the older generation. It seems so unlikely.”

She said: “The cases that are always talked about is youngsters committing crimes, when most young people don’t do that.”

Violent crimes made up 44 per cent of the cases, with 42 incidents resulting in someone injured and 72 incidents without injury. There were also 52 incidents of shoplifting, 32 public order offences, 18 sexual offences and seven drugs offences.

The figures, obtained by the Oxford Mail through a Freedom of Information request, showed that 77 per cent of the offenders were men.

Out of the 269 offenders, 59 of them were in their 70s and the three oldest delinquents were nearly 80. One suspect died before police could take any further action, while 48 others were charged or given summons.

Another 49 were cautioned, while 59 were dealt with through restorative justice or community resolutions. Police said 14 people were given fixed penalty notices and there were 23 ongoing investigations. Sixty-five cases were dropped, either for lack of evidence or offenders were too ill to prosecute.