Laughing thief jailed for targeting pensioners in Solihull

A thief who laughed at one of his elderly victims as she chased him to try and get her handbag back has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Carl Gough mugged two pensioners in Solihull last October, disguising his identity by wearing a motorbike crash helmet and a fluorescent outfit.

One woman, aged 74, had just been to the doctor’s surgery on Yew Tree Lane when the 39-year-old targeted her on the car park. He leaned over her and stole her handbag from the back seat of her car and then laughed as she tried to chase him.

Just two days earlier he had robbed an 80-year-old woman on Damson Lane after pretending to help her cross the road.

On both occasions Gough got away on a distinctive white and orange Pulse Adrenaline motorbike – which a local expert helped police identify from CCTV footage.

With only two such bikes registered in the region it wasn’t long before detectives were knocking on Gough’s door. They seized his bike and fluorescent clothing – the same as that worn by the offender.

Gough denied both offences but changed his plea to guilty at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday 9th May.

Investigating officer DC Arron Cox, from Solihull CID, said: “Both elderly women have suffered considerably as a result of Gough’s offending.

“They’ve been left anxious and upset after losing the levels of independence and confidence they once enjoyed.

“I hope this sentence brings them some comfort and sends out a message to other criminals thinking of targeting vulnerable members of society.”

Read the full story here: http://www.west-midlands.police.uk/latest-news/news.aspx?id=853