Yahoo Finance Mugger who kicked cowering pensioner in the back during Westminster robbery facing jail
A mugger who kicked an 87-year-old woman in the back as she cowered on the ground before stealing £60 from her handbag is facing jail.
Collin Reid, 41, attacked the pensioner on her doorstep in Westminster, central London.
Reid had stalked the victim as she bought groceries at a supermarket at Tottenham Court Road on July 7.
She returned home by bus and entered the gated area of her home, using the trolley bag full of shopping as a walking aid, before Reid pounced and tried to snatch her handbag.
The bag was worn diagonally across her body it would not come free, Southwark Crown Court heard on Tuesday.
Reid pushed the victim to the ground and kicked her in the back while she lay on the ground.
Four passers-by heard screams and one quickly took pictures of Reid which were later used by police as evidence against him.
The victim suffered extensive injuries to her arm, knees and back and was left “very physically frail" after the attack.
Minutes after the assault, Reid entered a nearby building and took two purses from the handbag which he then threw at the victim to make his escape.
An investigation was launched by detectives in Westminster. A number of weeks later, Reid was traced to a hostel in the Bloomsbury area.
Further police enquiries showed Reid had followed the elderly woman from a bus and waited for 15 minutes outside the supermarket while she shopped.
He then followed her back home on a second bus, where he robbed her outside her home address off Charing Cross Road.
Reid pleaded guilty to robbery under the sheer weight of the evidence, police said. He was remanded in custody to be sentenced on December 22.
Detective Constable James Brooks, of the Met’s Central West Command, said: “The victim in this case, although physically very frail, has been incredibly strong throughout our investigation and the subsequent hearings at court.
“However, although she is on the road to recovery from the injuries inflicted by Reid during the physical attack, the psychological effects of this incident will continue far beyond the healing of her physical injuries.
“I would like to thank the witnesses who were quick thinking enough to intervene and take images of Reid and who rushed to the victim’s side to support and help her.
“I hope that everyone concerned finds some satisfaction in the knowledge that Reid has admitted the offence and he will now pay the penalty for is callous and cowardly actions that he committed in order to steal £60 from a pensioner.”
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