A hooded man mugged a registered blind 88-year-old woman in a Lochee car park in a “moment of madness”, Dundee Sheriff Court was told.
Garry Donnan, who told his partner, “I’ve done a robbery” after targeting the frail pensioner, shaved his head and beard and burned his clothing to try to escape detection.
The court heard three children came to the aid of the distressed woman, who is now too afraid to leave her home.
The 24-year-old, who wrote a confession note that was later found by police in his pocket, was behind bars last night ahead of sentencing next month.
Depute fiscal Eilidh Robertson told the court the woman was walking towards Lochee High Street at around 3.15pm carrying her handbag, which contained her bus pass, pension book, two wallets and some money.
Ms Robertson said: “She walked on to the gravel car park at Tofthill.
“The accused approached her from behind, seized the strap of her handbag and pulled it sharply towards him, managing to pull her handbag free from her body.
“The pulling on her bag caused her to fall to the ground. She suffered minor grazing to her knees, elbow and pain to her neck. The accused ran away towards Tofthill Place with her handbag.
“Three children saw the accused running away from the locus carrying a bag and later came across the complainer sitting down in the middle of the car park.
“She was distressed and told them what happened. They helped her to her feet and tried to find the accused, but were unsuccessful.”
CCTV traced Donnan to a communal close on Lochee High Street and the pensioner’s handbag was found on a nearby roof.
A witness later heard Duggan tell his girlfriend: “I’ve done a robbery.”
He later told police: “Guys, I regret it it was a moment of madness.”
Officers noted that Donnan had shaved the hair from his head and beard.
Police found a note in Donnan’s pocket which included the line: “I walked up to her and just grabbed her bag, but not trying to hurt her in any way.”
Donnan, 24, a prisoner at Perth, admitted assaulting the woman in the gravel car park at Tofthill on September 14 by approaching her from behind, pulling a handbag from her possession causing her to fall to the ground, all to her injury, and robbing her of the handbag and its contents.
Donnan’s solicitor, Andy Lyall, offered a public apology to the pensioner on his client’s behalf.
Sheriff Elizabeth Munro deferred sentence until November 4 for reports and remanded Donnan in custody.