A 78-year-old woman used her own detective work to track down a burglar who had stolen her jewellery during a raid on her home. Nina Anderson searched pawn shops near her house in Portsmouth, Hampshire, after gold and silver necklaces worth nearly £400 were taken from her bedroom as she watched television. The great-grandmother, who lives with husband Maurice, 75, eventually spotted two of the stolen items in the window of a Cash and Cheque Express in the city centre two months after the raid. Her actions, which echo those of Agatha Christie character Miss Marple, led to the arrest of burglar Martin Campbell, who has now been jailed for three years. Detective: Nina Anderson, pictured with husband Maurice, 75, searched pawn shops near their house in Portsmouth, Hampshire, after gold and silver necklaces  were taken from her bedroom as she watched TV . Real-life Miss Marple: Mrs Anderson's (left with her husband) actions mirror those of Agatha Christie character Miss Marple, who was played on ITV by actress Geraldine McEwan (right) between 2004 and 2007 . Portsmouth Crown Court heard Campbell, who had been hired to do odd jobs for the couple, forced his way into the  house when Mrs Anderson was at home alone on December 28. He was arrested by police when Mrs Anderson noticed necklaces missing from her jewellery box, but was later released with no further action. Determined to retrieve her stolen jewellery, Mrs Anderson began looking in nearby pawn shops. She spotted  two of the missing necklaces in the window of a branch of Cash and Cheque Express on February 19. The pawn shop was able to provide a bank statement, photo ID and ownership declaration that Campbell, 28, had provided when he sold the jewellery. Mrs Anderson contacted the police, who used the records to re-arrest Campbell. Mrs Anderson's actions mirror those of  Miss Marple, a fictional character who appears in 12 of Agatha Christie's novels, solving difficult crimes with her shrewd intelligence. Breaking in: Campbell forced his way into the house when Mrs Anderson was at home alone. Above, the damage done to the door during the raid . She said: 'I left copies of the stolen gold in pawn shops around the city. 'I found myself looking in the windows every time I passed by. Then this time something caught my eye - it was my silver necklace. 'It took my work to do it, otherwise we wouldn't have heard anything.' Prosecutor Martyn Booth told Portsmouth Crown Court: 'The police had effectively concluded their investigations. Thankfully the Andersons had conducted their own enquiries. 'Enquiries established that the defendant had turned up on December 30 two days after the burglary trying to sell the items.' An 18ct gold necklace with an image of St Anthony that Mrs Anderson's late father gave to her when she left Italy in 1957 is still missing. Mrs Anderson said she had treated Campbell like 'one of the family' when she hired him as a handyman and that the burglary was a 'great betrayal'. She said: 'We can't trust anybody, I'm locking myself in. I've been through quite a lot, I've been traumatised. I've had to go to the doctors to get sleeping tablets.' Barry McElduff, defending, handed a letter to the judge written by Campbell apologising to the Andersons. Mr McElduff said: 'He accepts full responsibility for he offences. He expresses remorse and shame. Temptation got the better of him.' The father-of-one has had 24 court appearances for 40 offences, including previous burglaries in 2002, 2003 and 2006. He admitted burglary and fraud relating to pawning the jewellery. He was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison in addition to a suspended sentence for stealing a bicycle that he was serving when he committed the crime. Link: Cristos Charalambides, franchisee of the Cash and Cheque Express where the jewellery was found, with Nina and Maurice Anderson. The pawn shop was able to provide records that traced back to Campbell . Sentencing Campbell to three years, Judge Sarah Munro QC said: 'You describe them as people with hearts of gold. 'You threw their kindness back in their faces as you did their trust in you by breaking into their home and stealing jewellery. These offences, as I hope you understand, were a great betrayal. 'They've led to a considerable detrimental effect on that couple.' The officer investigating the burglary has praised the Andersons for their detective work. He said: 'It was her integrity which led to the recovery of two items. We always encourage victims of crime to check out the normal joints, second hand shops, pawn shops.' Spotted: Determined to retrieve her stolen jewellery, Mrs Anderson began looking in nearby pawn shops. She saw two of the missing necklaces in the window of a branch of Cash and Cheque Express, pictured .
Nina Anderson's jewellery was stolen from her bedroom as she watched TV . The 78-year-old started searching pawn shops near her Portsmouth home . Spotted two of her necklaces and records traced back to Martin Campbell . Campbell, 28, who worked for Mrs Anderson, has been jailed for 3 years .