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Jail for woman who attacked pensioner outside Ribbleton doctor’s surgery

Posted on - 27th February, 2016 - 8:00am | Author - | Posted in - Crime, Preston News, Ribbleton
Lynette Oakey

Lynette Oakey

A drug addict who knocked a pensioner to the floor and grappled for her handbag outside a Preston Health Centre has been jailed for two years.

Members of Lynette Oakey’s family turned out in disgust at their sister and friend’s behaviour when she appeared at Preston Crown Court – and to express their concern for her victim Veronica Heyes, 80.

Oakey, 34, admitted robbery and three bail offences after failing to turn up to face the consequences of her cowardly attack on Mrs Heyes, on three separate occasions.

Family friend, Janice Booth, said: “I’m disgusted with her. She deserves everything she gets, the evil b***h.”

Oakey, of no fixed address, attacked frail Mrs Heyes as she went for a blood test at Geoffrey Street clinic in Ribbleton on September 4.

She approached Mrs Heyes and asked her for a cigarette before making a grab for her handbag.

But when Mrs Heyes tightened her grip on her bag, Oakey kicked her walking stick away and Mrs Heyes lost her balance and fell to the floor – still clutching her handbag.

As Mrs Heyes lay on the floor with a bruised head, face and wrist, Oakey pulled the great-grandmother’s bag over her head and made off.

But two Good Samaritans who heard Mrs Heyes’ screams, caught the robber and held her until the police arrived.

Recorder Guy Mathieson, sentencing, said: “Mrs Heyes should be commended for her bravery and equally those individuals who came so quickly to arrest the defendant.”

Preston Crown Court heard Oakey had lived a fairly stable life after battling with drugs in the early 2000’s.

But since the breakdown of her marriage she returned to Preston and her old ways.

The judge said: “The difficulty with that is that the focus of that becomes entirely driven by your need to get your next fix.

“You don’t give any thought to anything else and it overwhelms any thought for anyone else.”

As the judge handed down a sentence of two years and 10 months, members of Oakey’s family expressed their disgust and offered condolences to Mrs Heyes.

Her sister, Dawn Oakey, said: “They say there’s justice? Two years for robbing an old woman? It’s a joke.”

In a victim impact statement, Mrs Heyes, said: “My face looked so bad I didn’t want my grandchildren to see me.”

The judge said Oakey had picked on her knowing the pensioner would be an easy target.

As Mrs Heyes left the court, Oakey’s family hugged the great-grandmother and offered her their apologies, saying: “She’s brought shame on the family.”

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