A TEENAGER who robbed an elderly woman of her handbag has been sentenced to four and a half years youth custody

Colin Bray's 71-year-old victim suffered a nose bleed and other injuries during the ordeal on Audley Range, Blackburn.

The experience made her suffer a loss of confidence.

She died of unrelated matters before the culprit was tried at the crown court for his offence.

Bray, 18, of no fixed address, was convicted by a jury of robbery, a charge he had denied.

Andrew Lawson, prosecuting at Preston Crown Court, said it was 9.15am one morning last May when the woman heard someone run up from behind.

She was pushed to the floor and her handbag stolen.

In falling to the ground she suffered a nose bleed and two black eyes.

The woman went on to make a victim impact statement in which she spoke of her reluctance to go outside and how she was always looking over her shoulder.

Bray, who was 17 at the time of the robbery, used money from her handbag to buy heroin.

He denied responsibility for the attack but his DNA was found on the bag.

He claimed he had no part in the offence, but had come into contact with the bag.

Bray had 13 convictions, including a robbery sentence dating back to July 2003 when he was given twelve months detention and training.

In that incident he had approached a female from behind, pushed her in the back and taken her bag.