An elderly man starved to death in his home after losing the will to live following a series of burglaries. Vincent Adcock, 74, locked himself away and stopped eating after his terraced house in Bury, Greater Manchester, was targeted by thieves five time in three months.

When police broke in they found him lying on the floor upstairs with his dog at his side. Mr Adcock was taken to hospital but died the next day from malnutrition and kidney failure.

Mr Adcock’s Alsatian dog, Prince, is thought to have stood guard over him for four days before officers arrived. The animal was so distressed that it was put down a few days later.

Neighbours said that the pensioner, who had no close family, was a proud, independent man before the burglaries began in May. Each incident was reported to Greater Manchester Police, but those responsible have not been traced.

One of his closest friends, Margaret Boswell, said that Mr Adcock was “driven to his death” by the intruders, who stole cash, valuables, a watch, a coat and hundreds of CDs and DVDs.

Mrs Boswell, 71, said: “He used to go out every day with his dog and he came to town with me three times a week for coffee and toast in Asda. He was quite independent and his dog was his life.

“But after five break-ins he just gave up. It really shook him up and he was scared of leaving the house. He stopped going out and stopped buying food.”

Mr Adcock, who was single and had lived in Bury for 50 years, had worked at a paper mill until he was made redundant 14 years ago. Until the burglaries began, he would walk his dog several times a day and was capable of looking after himself. He “used to bake, cook, everything”, said Mrs Boswell.

After the fourth burglary, she said he told her: “I give up. I just can’t take any more. I’ve not done any harm to anybody, so why are they doing that to me?”

One of the burglaries happened while Mr Adcock was shopping, another while he was having a hospital check-up. On a third occasion, he returned home to find thieves — who fled empty-handed — inside the property. The final theft happened with Mr Adcock inside the house. A woman knocked on his front door and distracted him while her male accomplice broke through the back door and stole his coat.

Chief Superintendent Jon Rush said that the Bury Safeguarding Adults Board may be asked to investigate the case to establish whether “anything further could have been done to support him”.

Times Recommends

• Fern Britton: 'I still can't see that I was wrong'
• Extreme cooking
• Easy French: Tarte Tatin