PENSIONERS who are too frail or frightened of going to court are to fight back against crooks by providing live video evidence from their homes.

Police hope the pioneering move will lead to thugs who have escaped jail because of the health or fears of their victims being brought to justice.

The move follows the sentencing of a man to six years in jail after he changed his plea to guilty in a robbery case. Shaun Leslie Northage was convicted after his 91-year-old victim agreed to transmit her evidence live from her kitchen into Preston Crown Court.

The frail woman, who had not left her home for 10 years, had refused to give evidence in court.

If the trial had gone ahead, it would have been the first time that the technology, similar to that which television companies use for live outside broadcasts, was used in Lancashire.

Such was the success of just proposing to set up the video link, police in the Eastern Division, covering Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley, and the Pennine Division, of Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale, are being urged by senior officers to use the equipment to secure more convictions.

Video links are commonly used in court to protect vulnerable witnesses, such as children and sexual assault victims. But in those cases the person still has to attend court - their testimony is beamed into the courtroom from another room.

In Hyndburn, young prisoners have made court appearances at the magistrates via live video link from Lancaster Farms to save on transportation costs. But the out-of-court link proposed for the 91-year-old woman, from the Duke Bar area of Burnley, is the first time such a facility has been used for witnesses or the victim.

Detective Constable Steve Eccles, of Burnley CID, came up with the idea to use the technology, had to rent the equipment as the force did not own such technology. A bid is currently being prepared to secure funding from the Home Office to buy the kit.

He said: "My concern from the outset in this case was that the victim had had little contact with the outside world for many years and was so frail. I have since been approached by other officers about aggrieved parties giving evidence from home addresses due to being housebound."

Inspector John Clucas, from the headquarters of Lancashire Constabulary, said he would be urging senior officers across the divisions to use the equipment. He added: "This is a tool which could be utilised more frequently in Lancashire.

The move was welcomed by Age Concern. Patrick Collister, the charity's chief officer for Hyndburn, said: "For many older people, the thought of giving evidence in court can be a daunting.

"The ability to give evidence via a video link from their own home would make the experience less intimidating and may encourage older people to provide evidence."