Hero posties come to rescue of woman robbed of her handbag

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Hero posties come to rescue of woman robbed of her handbag in Plymouth

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A MUGGER with nearly 30 convictions to his name has been jailed again after two postmen thwarted his latest crime.

Daniel Hall, of Albert Road, Devonport appeared at Plymouth Crown Court after pleading guilty to one count of robbery on January 30 this year.

Hall, aged 33, had crept up behind his 42-year-old female victim in Benbow Street on that morning as she headed to work.

The court heard she had got off the bus and within a few moments Hall pounced, snatching her bag from over her shoulder.

Prosecutor Alistair Verheijen told Recorder Simon Foster that as Hall ran towards Albert Road the woman cried out “someone stop him, he’s got my bag”.

Mr Verheijen said: “Her cry alerted two postal workers who followed him in their van.

“They saw him in an alleyway and pulled up. One of the workers, Mr Harris, leapt out and shouted ‘Give me the bag’”

Hall threw the bag at Mr Harris and fled the area.

The postal workers then returned the bag to the woman with “nothing missing from inside”. At her request the postal workers then escorted her to her workplace “for her safety”.

Police were called and thanks to descriptions from the victim and the post workers, Hall was identified and picked up just a few hours later.

He initially replied “no comment” to all the questions but after speaking to his solicitor in private made a number of admissions.

Mr Verheijen said Hall had a record “going back to the early 1990s” and included offences of criminal damage, aggravated vehicle taking, thefts, shoplifting, burglary, drugs offences, breaches of court orders and resisting arrest.

Recorder Simon Foster noted Hall had 59 offences from 29 convictions to his name.

Hall asked for three more offences to be taken into consideration.

Hall’s advocate, Deni Matthews, said the 33-year-old had been using drugs “since he was 16 years old” and had a “long-standing addiction to class A drugs”.

He said Hall had a 15-year-old son with whom he had no direct contact, and would have no contact until he was clear of drugs.

He said Hall’s “present partner” was expecting his child in five months time. He also told the court Hall had drafted a letter of apology to the victim.

Recorder Simon Foster said the robbery was “yet another in a litany of steadily more serious offences” which Hall had committed “more or less on an annual basis for many many years”.

He said Hall’s claim that the offences were committed in connection with his drug habit was “not mitigation... that’s just why you do it and it’s no comfort to everyone else”.

He sentenced Hall to eight months imprisonment, giving him credit for the time already served.

He estimated that Hall would be released “in time for [his baby’s] the birth” adding “I’ve been as lenient as I could”.

*Do you know the hero postmen? Contact The Herald newsrom on 01752 293100

[freelunch]

Well done posties

Nice to read some positive news