Junkie mugger gets a 'hit' allright - from great-grandmother (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Junkie mugger gets a 'hit' allright - from great-grandmother

PLUCKY great grandmother Mary Houghton gave a cowardly drug addict more than he bargained for when he tried to snatch her handbag.

The 84-year-old wrestled with junkie Lee Ockwell and hit him with her walking stick, before the thug ran off with the bag leaving her unconscious on the pavement.

Now Ockwell, 31, of Bowling Green Avenue, Cirencester, is serving two-and-a-half years behind bars and Mrs Houghton has been praised for her bravery.

In sentencing Ockwell at Gloucester Crown Court on Friday, Judge Jamie Tabor QC told Mrs Houghton: "You showed great courage. I think every single person in this court would like to say well done to you."

In an interview with the Standard this week, the brave pensioner, who lives in Cirencester, spoke about the February attack that left her with bruises and walking problems.

Ockwell pounced after she was dropped off outside the community centre in St Peter's Road, where she was due to play bingo.

She said: "I sort of recognised him. He decorated my flat a few months before.

"I turned around to ask him if he was looking for someone and he grabbed my bag.

"He kept tugging and tugging and tugging and I lost my balance. I can honestly say I wasn't frightened. I knocked him with my stick once or twice.

"I don't hate him. It's his parents I feel sorry for. I think the dealers are to blame.

"I went to court because I wanted to see justice done."

Mrs Houghton said a friend who dashed to her aid was also knocked to the floor as Ockwell fled the scene with the bag, containing just £40 cash.

Anne Vigars, prosecuting, said the ordeal had caused the pensioner to suffer sleeping problems.

Paul Grumbar, defending, said his client had twice tried to buy drugs on the day of the attack and failed.

He added: "At the time of this incident he did not recognise his unfortunate victim.

"He took 14 Diazepam tablets and 14 sleeping pills. That's why he had little recollection of the incident. He was in a sort of doze."

He said that Ockwell handed himself in to police when he realised what he had done.

In sentencing Ockwell to two-and-a-half years in prison, Judge Tabor described the defendant as "a living example of the terrible nature of heroin".

He added: "On February 25th, I accept you were being driven desperately by a craving for the drug.

"But you chose an 83-year-old woman because you knew she was elderly and unlikely to struggle back. You met someone who was very resilient, tough and brave."