A SNEAK thief who took a pensioner's handbag after distracting her with conversation was jailed yesterday.
Paul Williams, 19, approached the 65-year-old as she tended her garden in Park Road, Hebburn, South Tyneside.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how he chatted with her before taking the chance to snatch her bag from the hallway of her home.
Credit cards, personal belongings and £40 in cash were inside the bag.
The court heard how the woman notified police and was later able to identify Williams.
When his home was raided some contents of the bag were found in a bin, but the cash had been spent.
Williams, of Victoria Road West, Hebburn, pleaded guilty to theft.
Judge John Milford jailed Williams for 21 months and ordered him to first serve an outstanding period from a two-year sentence for burglary, from which he was on licence at the time of the offence.
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