A ROBBER who snatched the handbag of a woman who had taken pity on him was jailed for more than four years yesterday.

Stephen Watson smashed the passenger window of Patricia Lawrenson's car in a Redcar car park after she had offered him her parking ticket.

As she tried to get her bag back, Watson threatened her with a metal bar. Her fingers were injured during the struggle.

Yesterday, Watson, 24, of Marton Road, Middlesbrough, appeared at Teesside Crown Court and admitted robbery and aggravated vehicle taking relating to the car he was driving at the time of the attack.

Judge Peter Fox jailed him for three-and-a-half years for those offences and ordered him to serve consecutively seven months of a previous sentence.

Jonathan Walker, for Wats-on, said he wanted to apologise for the distress and injuries he caused to Mrs Lawrenson.

Watson's offending came about through his addiction to crack cocaine. He had not intended to cause any injury.

He began taking cocaine on release from a prison sentence in December and had to obtain £80 a day to feed his addiction.