A pensioner who had £150 snatched from him at a Lochee cash machine has spoken of his joy after the thief who attacked him was jailed.
Tony Bryan, 72, bravely gave chase to Martin Low after the thug targeted him at the TSB machine on High Street last summer.
A sheriff jailed Low for 10 months with a court hearing that he was in the grips of a pernicious drug addiction.
Speaking to the Tele following Low’s sentence, Kerr Street resident Tony said: “I think he deserved the 10 months.
>> Keep up to date with the latest news with Evening Telegraph newsletter
“I am pleased with that. He must have had some previous offences because he would not get 10 months just for the attack on me.
“I was shocked at the time, but I wasn’t hurt. The money was for my wife, Jackie, for the shopping.
“I got the money out of the TSB cash machine, but he was behind me and when the cash came out he crept up beside me and grabbed it. He ran down St Mary’s Lane. I ran after him, but I must admit that I am not in the best shape now and he got away.
“I used to play a bit of football when I was younger in Ireland, I am originally from County Mayo, but I have lived in Dundee since the 1980s.
“Anyway, I am not as fit as I was and the lad got away down the St Mary’s Lane.
“The police told me they got him the next morning after looking at CCTV from the bank, so he must have been known to them.”
Low, of Catterline Crescent, pleaded guilty to robbing him of £150 in cash while on bail at TSB, High Street, Lochee on July 29.
Prosecutor Saima Rasheed told Dundee Sheriff Court previously: “At around 5.30pm, the complainer left his home and walked towards the ATM. He was not aware of anyone behind him.
“He went to withdraw money and was forcibly knocked to the side by the accused who grabbed the money and ran off.”
Defence solicitor Anika Jethwa said that Low had suffered a serious withdrawal from crack cocaine, heroin and street valium when he was first taken into custody.
She said that he was now stable on suboxone in a bid to tackle his addictions.
Although a social work report explored the possibility of a restriction of liberty order, Ms Jethwa said that Low appreciated the gravity of the offence.
When jailing Low, Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown said: “In light of the concerns expressed in the report about a restriction of liberty order, I am not satisfied that would be an appropriate sentence to impose.”
Tony, a retired labourer, said that although his stolen £150 was never recovered, pals at Sandy’s Bar in Lochee had a whip-round for him.
He added: “I never got a penny of the money back.
“But the boys in the pub at Sandy’s Bar had a collection and gave me something. I am not sure now how much it was, about £50-£60 which was very good of them.
“TSB said there was nothing they could do because my branch is the Santander down the town. And Santander told me they could not give me the money because it was a theft and not their policy.
“I am pleased with the sentence, but I don’t think he will learn in jail.”
This article originally appeared on the Evening Telegraph website. For more information, read about our new combined website.