A BOY of 14 who robbed a woman in the street and also burgled an elderly couple's house has been sentenced to two and a half years detention.

The Blackburn youngster's first victim was a woman who had been undergoing chemotherapy treatment.

She was grabbed from behind and had a purse snatched from her grasp.

The experience affected her confidence.

The 14-year-old, who cannot be named due to his age, had pleaded guilty to charges of robbery and burglary.

Bernadette Baxter, prosecuting at Preston Crown Court, told how a grandmother was the robbery victim after nipping to a shop to buy groceries.

On leaving the shop, she noticed three youths on the other side of the road.

Then while walking on Earnsdale Road, she felt someone grab her arm from behind and take her purse, which contained £91.50 cash and personal items.

The youth was detected after his fingerprint was found on a card in the purse.

The burglary offence took place in Beech Avenue, Darwen.

A neighbour noticed the front door and vestibule wide open.

Two teenage boys were later spotted returning to the house.

One began passing things out of the house and when challenged the pair ran off.

Miss Baxter said the couple who lived there had been oblivious to what happened, watching television when alerted by a neighbour. Again, the teenager's fingerprint was found on a bottle of alcohol.

Arthur Stuttard, defending, said that in some respects the youth had been let down by society.

The burglary had been something of a sneak-in theft, due to a door being left open.

Regarding the robbery, he had initially denied being involved.

However, he made a clean breast of things to his solicitors.

Passing a 30-month sentence, Judge Peter Smith said the offences were serious matters for which only custody could be justified.

He had significantly reduced the term because of guilty pleas.

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