Threatened woman, 80, with knife

Youth already serving 6yr sentence

A teenager has admitted threatening a woman aged 80 with a knife at her Bellshill home.

It followed an incident where the pensioner was duped into handing over cash by a bogus collector.

The Bellshill youth, who is aged 17 and cannot be named, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court.

He admitted assaulting Elizabeth King by presenting a knife at her and demanding money with intent to rob her.

It happened at the OAP’S home in Clay Crescent on August 10 last year.

His not guilty pleas to several other charges alleging he defrauded pensioners in the area by getting them to buy tickets for a non-existent raffle or hand over sponsorship money were accepted.

The teenager, who was on bail at the time of the robbery bid, is serving a six-year sentence for attempted murder imposed at the High Court earlier this year after a man was attacked in Airdrie.

His co-accused in this week’s case admitted getting £3 from Elizabeth King by fraud and a similar sum from Maureen Marshall (68) at her home in Strathclyde Way on August 1 last year.

Several pensioners gave evidence before the guilty pleas were lodged.

One alleged victim, Margaret Coulson (80), of Glengarriff Road, Bellshill, said she gave a youth £5 for raffle tickets in aid of a hospice. She said he returned to her house two or three days later and told her she had won a prize. He asked for a glass of water and she went to the kitchen to get one.

She later found £700 had been stolen from a purse in a drawer in her living room.

Mrs Coulson, who couldn’t identify either of the accused, told the court: “I can’t believe I was so stupid. I don’t usually let people into the house, but he was a nice, wellspoken boy.

“I didn’t touch the glass again. When the police came I told them he had been drinking from it. I watch NCIS on the television!”

The court heard the knife youth’s DNA was found on the glass, but despite the forensic evidence his not guilty pleas to charges of defrauding and stealing from Mrs Coulson were accepted.

Sheriff Ray Small called for background reports on both accused and deferred sentence until August 20.