Thug jailed for terror attack on pensioner

A thug who robbed and stole hundreds of pounds from a terrified 82-year-old Black Country woman to fund his drug habit has been jailed for eight years.

Nicholas Regan repeatedly burst into the home of the victim to grab up to £100 a time from her handbag while appearing to be armed with a knife, and he forced her to withdraw more money from cash machines.

The 36-year-old ruthlessly twisted the arm of the frail woman and threw her on to a sofa. A month of attacks started in September last year.

He targeted the woman whom he had known in the past. He had not seen her for 10 years when he turned up at her Walsall home demanding money, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard yesterday.

He ignored her pleas to leave, marched into the living room and took £60 from a purse. He warned her he would be back for more.

He returned days later squeezing her arm and throwing her on to a sofa. During the horrifying confrontation she felt a sharp objected being pointed at her through his coat and feared it was a knife, the court was told. This time he took £100.

Next he took the pensioner to a cash machine where she was forced to withdraw £120.

In the fourth attack he twisted her arm and forced her to take out a further £80 from her bank account.

He confused the woman by giving her cheques for the money but they bounced.

There were other attackss but the victim was too frightened to call police. Detectives were finally alerted by concerned neighbours and Regan, of Dartford Road, Bloxwich, was arrested months later.

He was convicted of three robberies and three thefts by a jury last month and remanded in custody for sentence.

Miss Wendy Miller, defending, said yesterday: "He became entrenched in heroin use and addiction to alcohol five years ago and this was a desperate attempt to pay for his drugs.

He threatened to use a knife but never produced it and so it is not known whether he was pretending."