An 81-year-old woman was violently robbed in Byker, leaving her fearful and shaken after the attack
Byker: A shocking incident unfolded when a man named Paul McNeill attacked an 81-year-old woman. He dragged her to the ground, causing her to hit her head during a street robbery.
This all happened early one morning while the woman was waiting for her newspapers outside a shop. McNeill, a desperate drug addict, spotted her and approached from behind. He yanked her shopping bag so hard that she fell and struck her head on the pavement.
Now 83, the victim shared how this attack has left her scared to leave her home. She had been on her way to visit her sister when she decided to wait outside the store for a few minutes.
She didn’t hear McNeill coming up behind her because she’s hard of hearing. When he started pulling on her bag, she tried to hold on, but he yanked it away, and she fell back.
Inside that bag were her purse with £60, some vouchers, her house keys, and even a Christmas card with £30 cash. After the robbery, she went into Tesco, where staff helped her until the police arrived.
In her victim statement, she said the incident has really shaken her confidence. She feels frightened, especially in the dark, and it’s affected her ability to visit her sister, who has mental health issues.
McNeill was caught on CCTV entering a nearby block of flats with the stolen bag. He even gave the victim’s stolen bank card to someone else, who then used it to buy cigarettes and scratch cards.
With a long history of crime, McNeill was sentenced to nearly five years in prison. The judge noted how he targeted an elderly woman who couldn’t defend herself, highlighting the serious impact such crimes have on older individuals.
McNeill’s lawyer mentioned that he feels remorseful and that the robbery wasn’t planned. He was struggling with addiction and homelessness at the time, and he’s now trying to turn his life around.
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