Robber, 15, jailed after pensioner he mugged dies over a week later
A VICIOUS 15-year-old boy robber has been jailed after a pensioner he targeted in a violent bag snatch in Hall Green died within days of her ordeal.
Brenda Morton, 73, was treated for a fractured arm following the attack, which was captured on CCTV. But she was rushed back to hospital more than a week later and died of a heart attack.
She was dragged to the ground as her attacker tried to grab her handbag in Petersfield Road, on the afternoon of February 5 this year.
The teenager, who was 15 at the time, fled the scene empty-handed in a nearby waiting car and Mrs Morton was treated at hospital for a dislocated shoulder.
Her health deteriorated and she was re-admitted to hospital on February 15 but sadly died the next day.
Police enquiries led to the arrest of the teenager from an address in Birmingham four days later with detectives also able to link him to a robbery just hours before the one in Hall Green.
A 57-year-old woman was on her way home when she was approached by a man who snatched her handbag and made off in a waiting vehicle.
The boy, now 16, who can’t be named for legal reasons, was convicted of manslaughter, attempted robbery and robbery following a trial. He was sentenced to six-anda-half years at a youth offenders’ institution at Birmingham Crown Court last Friday.
Detective Sergeant Simon Hanlon said: “A woman sadly died following her traumatic ordeal and our desire to get justice for her family has been at the front of our thoughts throughout this investigation.
“After arresting the boy we recovered clothing from the address which matched that being worn by the robber in both attacks.
“We believe he was part of a wider team and was driven to parts of Birmingham to find vulnerable targets.
“This has proven a tragic case. A young boy has become embroiled in crime and has the death of an innocent pensioner on his conscience while a family continue to grieve a lost loved one.”
After the verdicts were returned, Ms Morton’s daughter, Joanna, said she had been “fit and able” before the attack and had been snatched away from her family “too soon”.