AN ELDERLY lady fought off a blade-wielding mugger after the would-be thief tried to steal a bag containing pictures of her late husband.
Brave Georgina Henderson, 66, struggled with vicious Susan Taylor after the callous thug cornered her with a Stanley knife and demanded her bag.
Mrs Henderson was knocked to the ground during the struggle and said it will be “a long time” before she is confident to go out again, but rescued the sentimental pictures.
Taylor, 28, made off after the incident drew the attention of nearby people but police later found the knife and the clothes she was wearing after scouring CCTV footage.
And on Tuesday at Edinburgh Sheriff Court Taylor admitted assault and attempted robbery.
Fiscal depute John Kirk told the court how the OAP had been walking home after doing some shopping at her local Spar in the Newhaven area of Edinburgh on April 4 this year.
Mrs Henderson was making her way home in Bathfield, Newhaven when Taylor approached her at 2.30pm and tried to mug her.
Brave
But the brave pensioner battled back in a bid to hold on to the cherished memories in her bag.
Mr Kirk said: “Mrs Henderson was approached by Taylor who presented a Stanley knife at her and demanded that she handed over her bag.
“There was a struggle for the bag during which Mrs Henderson fell to the ground.
“Mrs Henderson was not particularly worried about her shopping but had personal items in the purse including pictures of her late husband.”
Mr Kirk said that Mrs Henderson was calling out for help during the incident and a group of six or seven people had run over to assist her.
He said: “This caused Taylor to run off and two of the group ran after her.”
Although the good Samaritans caught the thief and brought back she managed to break free and made good her escape.
The group helped Mrs Henderson to her feet and called police who used their descriptions as well as CCTV to track her down.
Blade
A swift raid on her home found the blade used during the attempted robbery as well as the clothing she was wearing at the time.
Mrs Henderson later told prosecutors: “It will be a long time before I know I can go out and about with confidence and not keep looking over my shoulder.”
Sheriff Derrick McIntyre QC deferred sentence on Taylor – who was on two bail orders at the time of the attack – until May.
He remanded her in custody until then.
