Spared jail: Telford robber who tried to steal bag from woman sat in car
A former drug addict made three attempts to rob a woman of her handbag as she sat in her parked car in Telford, a court heard.
Paul Goff , 43, initially tried to snatch the bag through the driver's open door window as the victim was using her mobile phone.
He then opened the front passenger door in an effort to get the bag and had made a third attempt to grab the bag as the victim got out the car.
During a brief struggle the victim suffered an abrasion to her arm when she hit it on a wall but Goff was forced to run-off empty-handed leaving his victim shaken and distressed.
At Shrewsbury Crown Court, Goff was handed a 'last chance' to sort himself out when he was given a suspended prison sentence.
Judge Jim Tindal said Goff was a middle-aged man with a bad record of unpleasant drug-related offences and had not cared what he did and would not give up until he had some money.
He told the defendant that having got himself clear of drugs he had allowed himself to drift back into the drugs world.
Goff, who appeared in court on a video link from prison, was given a two-year sentence, suspended for two years, and must complete skills and rehabilitation programmes and 100 hours unpaid work. At a previous hearing he had admitted a charge of attempting to rob the woman on February 8 this year.
Mr Delroy Henry, prosecuting, said the incident happened in Pageant Road, Aqueduct – just a few yards from Goff's address in nearby Botany Bay Close – when the victim arrived to visit a friend.
He said Goff walked past the car and then returned and knocked on the window and when it was partially opened by Miss Davies the defendant had reached in to grab her bag.
Goff had tried to open the door, but it was held closed by the victim, but the defendant was persistent and went to the passenger door.
"She put her bag between herself and the driver's door as the defendant got in and he was shouting ' give me the bag' and 'give me a tenner' before rummaging through the centre console and taking a set of keys," said Mr Henry.
Mr Henry said there was a struggle as Miss Davies got out of the car to get away and Goff had then run off.
Mr Brendan Reedy, for Goff , said his client had been clear of drugs and the incident had been on the spur of the moment and he was genuinely sorry for his actions.
