Addict jailed for theft at cash machine

A DRUNKEN drug addict, who robbed a 69-year old woman of £50 she had just withdrawn from an ATM, has been jailed for 10 months for what a sheriff described as "an appalling incident".

The victim, who was described as frail and partially sighted, had just taken the money from an ATM in Brunswick Place, Edinburgh, on July 1 this year to go shopping at a nearby Tesco store when 26-year-old Olive Scoular struck.

Scoular, whose address was given as a hostel for the homeless in Holyrood Road, pled guilty at the city's Sheriff Court yesterday to assaulting and robbing Charmaine Chiniah. She was on bail at the time.

Scoular grabbed her victim's wrist and after a brief struggle snatched the 50. A passerby and a member of the store staff saw what was happening and took hold of Scoular, forcing her to drop the notes. Scoular made off, but the incident was caught on CCTV.

Sheriff William Holligan was told that Ms Chiniah had been very shaken by the robbery.

Defence agent, Eddie Wilson, said Scoular had been heavily under the influence of alcohol at the time and had a long-standing drug problem.