A 21-YEAR-OLD Angus woman, who had admitted her part in the assault and robbery of a disabled woman in broad daylight in an Arbroath park, was jailed for 12 months at the town’s sheriff court yesterday.

Andrea Wendy Airns, of Kirkbank, Auchmithie, had admitted that on April 12, in Victoria Park, she assaulted Mrs Carol Harkins to her injury by slapping her on the face and knocking her to the ground and—while acting with her boyfriend David Sinclair—robbed her of a pendant and chain, a quantity of medication and £10 and that she did so while on bail.

The court had heard that Mrs Harkins (54) was registered disabled and, among a number of ailments, was unsteady on her feet and had to use a three-wheeled trolley to allow her to get about.

Sinclair, who unlike Airns had a number of previous convictions and had only been released from a prison sentence imposed for a similar offence just the day before the attack on Mrs Harkins, was jailed for 18 months in June for his part in the incident.

The court was told it was in the early afternoon that Mrs Harkins was out for a walk with her 24-year-old daughter Ann, who is also her registered carer.

Hanging from one of the handles of her walking aid was a handbag containing her medication, a £10 note and her pendant and chain, which was valued at £12.

In an entirely unprovoked and unexpected attack, Sinclair barged between the two women and struck Mrs Harkins with enough force to knock her off her balance and let go of her walking aid.

The contents of her handbag scattered on the ground and Airns approached her and slapped her on the face, causing her to lose her balance completely and fall.

Mrs Harkins lost consciousness for a very brief period and, as she came to, she saw her assailants running off. Her daughter had seen Airns scooping up some of the items which had fallen from her mother’s handbag and also watched the pair as they made off.

She gave chase but, out of concern for her mother, she returned to her after a few seconds and called for the police and an ambulance.

Mrs Harkins suffered a cut to her top lip, a loosened tooth and bruising to her body but did not require medical attention.

Defence solicitor Billy Rennie said Airns, who has been held on remand since April 13, committed the offence with her boyfriend to obtain money to fund their heroin habits.

Airns, he said, had no involvement with heroin until September last year when a relative of Sinclair and her boyfriend—both heroin users—became homeless and moved in with her and Sinclair and her three children.

Mr Rennie said, “Heroin use became the norm in the house where it had never featured before and my client, realising the difficulties it was causing her in relation to her children, voluntarily gave them up to the care of her mother.

“When the visitors left, the heroin problem unfortunately remained, but since being placed on remand and participating in the prison detox programme she has been completely drug-free, has put on weight and has visibly returned to some sort of normality.”

Sheriff Norrie Stein told Airns, “You have pled guilty to a very serious offence—a lesser one than that admitted by Mr Sinclair but nevertheless an important role in the assault and robbery of this lady.

“This court daily sees the effects of heroin use and now it is also beginning to see the victims of heroin users.

“The courts have a responsibility to ensure that the public is protected and one way that can be done is by the imposition of custodial sentences.”

Sentence was back-dated to April 13.