Police have hailed the conviction of a young mum who brutally assaulted an elderly woman on her way home from church and robbed her.
Mollie Robinson, 22, attacked Lena Clarke with a metal pole and then stole her handbag on Telford Avenue, Inverness, at about 9.45pm on January 25.
Ms Clarke was left covered in blood following the incident but CCTV and a number of local people were witness to the attack.
Robinson was later found behind a set of large stack bins rifling through the handbag and was arrested by officers minutes later.
Appearing at Inverness Sheriff Court yesterday, Sheriff Gordon Fleetwood told her she had “quite deliberately targeted” the 79-year-old and jailed her for three years.
Responding to the sentence, Detective Sergeant Steven MacKenzie said he hoped the case would “send out a clear message” that violent crimes will not be tolerated.
He added: “I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the victim following her terrifying ordeal, and to the members of the public in their invaluable support of investigations which greatly assisted in speedily identifying the person responsible.
“I hope that this conviction and sentence will send out a clear message that Police Scotland will robustly investigate all violent crimes, helping to ensure we keep people safe and perpetrators brought to justice.”
