Court hears purse snatcher pounced on 77-year-old woman's bag as she returned trolley at Hawick store
A 45-year-old man who stole a purse from a pensioner's bag as she returned her trolley to the B&M store in Hawick has been ordered to carry out 70 hours of unpaid work.
Terry Bradshaw was caught after he used one of the 77-year-old woman's debit cards to obtain £18 worth of items in another shop, later the same day.
He was captured on camera at the Premier Stores outlet in the town's Havelock Street, buying food, juice, scratch cards and a vape, on March the 11th this year.
Bradshaw, of North Bridge Street, Hawick, pled guilty to charges of theft and fraud when he appeared in the dock at Jedburgh Sheriff Court today (Monday).
Representing himself, he said he was homeless at the time and the purse snatch had been "opportunistic" and out of character.
Sheriff Peter Paterson said the sentence is a direct alternative to jail, given Bradshaw's previous convictions.
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