A SCHIZOPHRENIC drug addict, who threatened a woman with a hypodermic needle in Abertillery in order to take her handbag, was been disqualified from driving for three years.

Stephen Newton, 46, of Mynydd Lodge, Cwmtillery appeared at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday, after previously pleading guilty to charges of robbery, dangerous driving and driving while disqualified and without insurance.

The court heard that the robbery incident occurred at 7.10pm on Wednesday, April 26, when the victim – Susan Davies – was out with a friend.

Prosecuting, Kathryn Lane said: “They were walking towards the Wetherspoons public house to meet up with friends.

“A vehicle with the defendant in pulled up behind them.”

Newton asked the women for directions and towards the end of the conversation, Mrs Davies’s bag slipped from her shoulder and the defendant grabbed it.

“Mrs Davies still had her hand on the bag and a struggle ensued,” said Miss Lane.

“He reached down in his car and pulled out a hypodermic needle.

“The defendant said “Take your hands off the bag or I’ll stab you with this needle and you’ll have hepatitis”.”

The bag contained two envelopes each with £36 inside them, a brown and crème purse, Mrs Davies’s house keys and a further £10 in cash, the court heard.

Miss Lane added that Mrs Davies later positively identified the defendant from a line-up and was able to remember his car, which was “an unusual orange colour”.

Police officers later traced Newton’s car following reports of an unrelated car fire in Ebbw Vale and he was arrested after he was found hiding in woodland.

Miss Lane added that the defendant had 30 convictions across 99 offences, including an attempted armed robbery in 1999.

Defending, Sarah Waters told the court the defendant was struggling with his mental health condition and was occasionally self-medicating.

“There were concerns about his mental health,” said Miss Waters.

“The difficulty is that the defendant cannot really remember much of the incident and the previous driving matters.”

Miss Waters added that Newton relapsed onto heroin and at one stage poured petrol on himself in his flat, threatening to set himself alight.

“He was hearing voices and he thought the neighbours were talking about him,” said the barrister.

“It was spiralling out of control.”

The court also heard from Dr Steve Attwood, a consultant psychiatrist, who provided two reports and had interviewed Newton while he was on remand at Cardiff prison.

“He said that he could smell gas in his cell and he had to be moved three times,” said Dr Attwood.

“He described suffering with a type of auditory hallucination – a running commentary.”

Concluding, judge M Fitton QC acknowledged the defendant’s mental state but believed Newton took the victim’s handbag in order to feed his drug habit.

“It was a robbery to get money to buy drugs,” he said, “You went for her handbag to get money to get drugs.”

The judge described Newton as “someone who is the least appropriate to have on the roads”.

Newton received a hospital order which will remain in place until he is deemed well enough by medical professionals to leave the low security institution.

Mr Fitton QC banned Newton from driving for a period of three years with regard to the counts of dangerous driving and the driving while disqualified, which was extended from a previous disqualification due to end in 2018.

The defendant’s licence was endorsed in relation to the charge of driving without insurance but the judge issued no separate penalty for the offence.