A ROBBER mugged an “elderly” woman after he grabbed her handbag and ripped her mobile phone from her hand when she was knocked to the ground.

Shane Holder’s victim suffered “agonising pain” when she fell to the floor following the shocking attack in Abergavenny.

He robbed the landlady following a confrontation in Llwynu Road on February 15.

The defendant had been asked to leave one of her houses because he had a dog which were not allowed on the premises.

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Holder committed the offence whilst on court bail for terrorising three teenagers seven months before on Abergavenny’s Old Hereford Road.

Jeffrey Jones, prosecuting, said the defendant had exploded after he’d been asked if he had a girlfriend as he had walked with them in July 2020.

He told Newport Crown Court: “He flipped, for want of a better phrase.

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“The defendant grabbed one of them by the throat. He told him, ‘I will slit your throat.’

“He then pulled out a knife with a five-inch blade and put it to his face.

“The defendant swore at them and threatened them.”

Mr Jones described the robbery victim as an “elderly lady” who was retired but he did not have a record of her age.

He told the court: “The defendant grabbed the handbag off her shoulder and tugged it.

“The victim tried to stop him but she fell to the floor after she lost her balance.

“The defendant then ripped her mobile phone from her hand and ran off.”

The woman suffered bruising to her shoulder blade and was described as being in “agonising pain”.

Mr Jones added: “The defendant was arrested after being found extremely drunk in a nearby park.”

The court was told how there was £100 cash in the handbag which he had used to buy drugs.

Holder, 25, of Underhill Crescent, Abergavenny, pleaded guilty to robbery.

He also admitted affray, possession of a bladed article and assault by beating.

The judge, Recorder Duncan Bould, heard how Holder had previous convictions for public disorder and being drunk and disorderly.

The defendant, represented by Harry Baker, was said to be “ashamed of his behaviour”.

Holder was jailed for three years and nine months and made the subject of a restraining order not to contact the victim of the robbery.

He must also pay a £190 victim surcharge following his release from prison.