A ROBBER who told police that he watched two other robberies take place before plucking up the courage to do it himself, was jailed for two-and-a-half years yesterday.
Alan Novak, 21, was caught during his first attempt.
He told police he was desperate for money to feed his heroin addiction when he attacked a 69-year-old woman in Hartlepool, taking her purse.
Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court Novak was caught after a friend told police he had seen him running away from the scene.
Novak, of Oakley Gardens, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods, theft and robbery between January and July.
Judge Richard Lowden told him: "These are offences committed against vulnerable people, and is so serious that nothing other than a custodial sentence is due."
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