A TEENAGE robber targeted an elderly woman as she left church, a court heard.

David Renwick, 19, approached the woman from behind and grabbed her shoulder bag as she walked down an alleyway following the Sunday morning service in Sacriston, near Chester-le-Street, in July.

Durham Crown Court was told that the 69-year-old victim tried to hang on, but was dragged to the ground before losing grip of the bag.

Fiona McCrae, prosecuting, said the woman's shouts were heard by nearby residents who came to her aid, although Renwick escaped with the bag.

The woman was taken to Dryburn Hospital, Durham, where she was treated for a broken arm, cuts and bruises. She had to have her rings cut from her fingers due to swellings caused in the incident.

When police later spoke to Renwick he admitted having taken £75 from a purse, and he showed officers where he had hidden the bag with the rest of the contents intact.

Donald MacFaul, mitigating, said Renwick's offending only began this year, coinciding with his growing addiction for heroin, and the need to fund the habit. He said that while in custody Renwick has begun work with a drug team to wean himself off heroin.

Renwick, of Hillside, Witton Gilbert, near Durham, admitted robbery, and was sentenced to two years and six months in a young offenders' institution.