Man jailed for robbing woman, 70, in her Jarrow home

Mitchell Sayers admitted two robberies and six counts of shoplifting

A man who robbed a 70-year-old woman at knifepoint in her own home has been jailed for nine years.

Mitchell Sayers stole £90 and a bank card from the woman at her home in Jarrow three days before Christmas.

Northumbria Police said the 32-year-old was a "drug-fuelled menace" who was on bail at the time for robbing a woman in her 50s in the street.

Sayers admitted two counts of robbery and six counts of shoplifting when he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court.

Northumbria Police said Sayers, of no fixed abode, warned the 70-year-old victim he would "come back for her" if she contacted police.

Det Con Alison Hayhoe said: "Sayers' behaviour was dangerous and erratic as a result of his drug misuse, and he showed he was willing to endanger the lives of anybody who got between himself and the money needed to feed his addiction.

"His selfish actions have inevitably caused a significant amount of distress for his victims, one of whom was in her 70s and was left absolutely terrified as a result."

'Destroyed my life'

At the time of the Jarrow robbery, Sayers was on bail for pushing a woman in her 50s to the ground in South Shields on 30 November.

He kicked the woman and stole her purse, before he was found hiding in a wheelie bin by police short while later.

The victim of Sayers' street robbery said: "I feel worried and scared when I got out alone."

The 70-year-old woman targeted by Sayers in her home added: "This man has destroyed my life."