Inverness Sheriff Court hears how local woman tried to rob 83-year-old pensioner visitor of her handbag
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A 38-year-old Inverness woman was jailed for 15 months yesterday for an "absolutely disgraceful" assault and attempted robbery of an 83-year-old holidaymaker who was walking with an 80-year-old man friend in broad daylight beside the River Ness.
But the plucky pensioner couple fought back Inverness Sheriff Court heard.
As Gemma Robertson grabbed Rita Exely's handbag and tried to wrestle it from round her neck, her male companion seized Robertson's hoodie top forcing her to wriggle out of the garment to make her escape, while Ms Exely herself grabbed Robertson's ponytail and tried to detain her.
The struggle was spotted by a CCTV operator who summoned police to the scene and they took possession of the hoodie.
And in it they found Robertson's personal possessions including a mobile phone and keys with an address in Madras Street on it and the following day she was arrested.
Robertson falsely claimed to the arresting officers she had merely bumped into the couple and claimed they had grabbed her jacket and pulled her hair.
The shocking incident completely ruined the holiday for the couple Sheriff Robert Frazer told the city's Sheriff Court after reading the victims' impact statements.
He told Robertson, of Grant Street: "This is disgraceful," when she appeared via video link from HMP Grampian where she is in custody.
"These people should have expected to go about their holiday in Inverness in a peaceful fashion but someone like you has completely ruined their holiday," said Sheriff Frazer.
Fiscal depute Emily Hood told the court that the two visitors had crossed the Greig Street Bridge over the River Ness and were walking on Bank Street last May 14 when Robertson approached them and said to them "Do you know where you are," as if to offer them directions.
But she proceeded to grab Ms Exely's handbag from around her neck grabbing her skin in the process and slightly injuring her.
Sheriff Frazer noted that among Robertson's numerous previous conviction was a similar assault and attempted robbery in 2009 and since then she had received eight custody sentences.
Defence solicitor Neil Wilson asked Sheriff Fraser to take into account that Robertson had pleaded guilty to the indictment as early as possible.
He said she had a chaotic lifestyle, and was on anti-psychotic medicine and a methadone prescription at the time.
He added: "She had lost her methadone prescription and hadn't taken any for two days and was rattling at the time she committed this offence."
Mr Wilson added that Robertson was in the company of a male and suggested he had encouraged her to attempt the bag snatch.
"The matter was over in seconds," he added.
