Hartlepool woman jailed at Teesside Crown Court after burgling 80-year-old widow and stealing victim's Ford C-Max car

Stacey Robinson, 33, sneaked inside the widow’s home in Stockton Road, Hartlepool, and rifled through her drawers and cupboards to steal jewellrey and her handbag containing her bank card and car keys.

Robinson, who had taken a large amount of tablets, made off in the victim’s Ford C-Max car.

She crashed it into some bollards when police caught up with her a short while later after using the victim’s stolen bank card in a shop to buy alcohol.

Robinson also assaulted two police officers as she was being detained and was jailed for almost three years at Teesside Crown Court.

Emma Atkinson, prosecuting, said the elderly woman was at home when Robinson committed the burglary but she was unaware until the police arrived to inquire about her car.

Miss Atkinson said: “She describes feeling shocked and violated that someone has been in while she was at home and oblivious to it.”

Police were waiting for her in Rydal Street on an unrelated matter when she crashed the car into some concrete bollards.

While she was being detained she spat at one police officer and kicked another in the leg.

Robinson, of Rydal Street, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to burglary, fraud, aggravated vehicle taking, two counts of assaulting and emergency worker, plus driving without a licence or insurance.

Stephen Constantine, mitigating, said Robinson had little recollection of the offences and had expressed remorse.

She was jailed for a total of 1,058 days and banned from driving for three years.