A violent thug is beginning an eight-year jail sentence after being found guilty of two robberies in which elderly women were injured.

Stuart Austin was convicted of two robberies, a car theft and theft from a person at Wolverhampton Crown Court, where he was jailed. The court heard how Austin targeted victims he assumed to be vulnerable.

Austin, aged 36, robbed a 79-year-old woman outside Sandwell General Hospital in West Bromwich on November 13 last year.

The robbery caused the woman to fall to the ground, dislocating her shoulder and leaving her with facial injuries.

Just three days later, Austin, of Brackendale Drive, Yew Tree Estate on the Sandwell-Walsall border, robbed an 86-year-old woman as she walked along Grafton Road, again near Sandwell General Hospital.

He snatched her bag and again caused her to fall to the ground. The victim suffered a broken hip and was hospitalised for some time following her ordeal.

Austin was also found guilty of stealing a car from the car park of Sandwell General Hospital on November 17 last year.

The court heard how the male victim had just gone pay for parking when Austin jumped into his Nissan Primera car and drove off. The vehicle was later recovered in West Bromwich.

The following day Austin stole a bag from an 81-year-old woman as she made her way to her car outside Asda in Tipton. The victim’s handbag was inside a trolley when Austin snatched it and jumped into the waiting Nissan, which had been stolen the previous day.

Speaking after the case, Det Con Gareth Williams, of Sandwell CID, said: “These were despicable acts, in which three elderly women were specifically targeted by Austin as he assumed them to be vulnerable. Two of the victims suffered nasty injuries and were understandably deeply upset by what happened to them.

“Knowing the man responsible is starting an eight-year prison sentence will hopefully offer them some comfort as they get over their ordeals.”