An 80-year-old woman has told of her continuing trauma after being attacked and robbed at a cashpoint in a Fife town.
Stuart Patterson dragged pensioner Margaret Jones to the ground and wrestled a purse from her hand at the Tesco in Station Road, Cardenden.
CCTV of the robbery was played at Dunfermline Sheriff Court, where Sheriff Charles Macnair jailed 40-year-old Patterson for 28 months.
Speaking afterwards, Mrs Jones said her experience has been “traumatic” and she is no longer able to leave home without her husband.
Of Patterson’s sentence, she said: “It’s more (jail time) than I thought it was going to be”.
Coward fled after robbery
Prosecutor Douglas Thomson told the court Mrs Jones had withdrawn money from the ATM and put it in her purse before Patterson approached on August 16 this year.
The fiscal depute said: “As he walked past, he grabbed (the purse) with such force she was dragged to the ground, falling heavily on her left side.”
Mr Thomson said Patterson forcibly took the purse – containing £60 – from Mrs Jones’ hand as she lay on the ground in pain.
Patterson fled the scene but was seen by witnesses and traced by police a few hours later.
Patterson, appearing in court by video link to Perth Prison, admitted assault and robbery.
Defence lawyer James McMackin said his client is heroin addict who used the money stolen from his “opportunistic crime” to buy drugs.
The solicitor said his client was “deeply ashamed” and has shown remorse and insight.
Traumatic experience for victim
Recalling the attack, Mrs Jones told The Courier: “If he had not put me to the ground, I don’t think he would have got it (the purse) from me.
“He walked away and came back to pull the purse away.
“When lying on the ground I felt humiliated – at my age lying, sprawled on the ground”.
Mrs Jones revealed a young man came to her aid and took her home nearby.
She said: “It’s been a traumatic experience for me.
“It’s had a bigger (psychological) impact than I thought it would.
“Hopefully I can get back to the way I was”.
Mrs Jones, who turns 81 later this month and has angina, now only leaves home with her husband and is “very wary” of her surroundings.
She does not think she will use a cash machine again.
She also told how the fall has given her “a bit of bother” with her left hip and has had to give up, for the time being, the line dancing she went to on Mondays.
Victim ‘sorry’ for attacker
Giving her thoughts on Patterson, Mrs Jones said: “I do feel sad and sorry for him”.
She said she hopes he can benefit from more drug rehabilitation and “turn his life around”.
Mrs Jones’ husband of 58 years, John Jones, 79, was supporting her in court.
He said it is fortunate his wife is fit for her age because someone frailer could have easily been badly hurt.
Slammed during sentencing
Sentencing, Sheriff Charles Macnair told Patterson he has a “dreadful record of dishonesty offences” with “some violence scattered throughout”.
He said: “This offence, I accept, was opportunistic but it was a violent attack on an elderly lady who was going about her lawful business removing money which, for her, was a significant amount of money contained within her purse.
“You effectively dragged her to the ground and then wrestled the purse from her hand and disappeared and I am told, you threw the purse away at an early opportunity.
“The physical impact on the victim is at the moment unknown – she is awaiting further medical investigation in relation to these injuries but that’s by no means all.
“The impact it’s had on her and her emotional state is significant.
“She is now effectively unable to go out on her own as she did before this crime.
“Street robbery of this sort is always extremely serious and this is aggravated by the age of the victim and your appalling record.”
Sheriff Macnair said he would have jailed Patterson for 42 months but for his early guilty plea.
Patterson was jailed for 28 months, backdated to August 21 when he was first remanded in custody.
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