A drug addict has been jailed for 45 months at Dundee Sheriff Court for the “truly horrible” mugging of a 79-year-old woman.
Ryan McAteer (25), a prisoner at HMP Perth, had previously admitted assaulting Agnes Kennedy by pushing her on the body, causing her to fall to the ground, and stealing her handbag and its contents while on bail at Caldrum Terrace on February 19.
The court was told McAteer came up behind Mrs Kennedy and grabbed her handbag, sending her flying face down.
Defence agent Ross Bennett said that McAteer had a tendency to come out of prison clean, but would get back on heroin after meeting “contemporaries”.
The incident happened at a time when a close friend of McAteer’s had died, he added.
“He went on a bit of a spree and committed this offence when he was, in his own words, ‘desperate for a fix’, and acted this way against this elderly lady,” he said.
“The irony is that he has an elderly grandmother himself and said he would be bitterly annoyed with anyone who committed such an offence against his grandmother.”
McAteer had also previously admitted stealing a TV from Asda, Milton of Craigie, on January 23 while on bail.
Sheriff Elizabeth Munro told McAteer, “You assaulted and robbed Mrs Kennedy in what was a truly horrible crime.
“Given than you only have one previous conviction for this sort of offence it’s not your usual style, you’re just a thief and a shoplifter I’m going to sentence you to a total of 45 months, backdated to April 28.”