Drug addict attacked cancer patient with stolen prosecco bottle

Victoria Pedersen, 38, hit her 74-year-old victim over the head with the booze, which she had shoplifted from an Asda supermarket.

The pensioner let her into her assisted living bungalow in North Tyneside by mistake, believing it was her son ringing her doorbell.

Pedersen and a female accomplice tried to sell the terrified woman the stolen alcohol and a watch, saying they needed cash for a "fix".

When she refused to buy them she was hit with the bottle of prosecco.

Pedersen's accomplice took the woman's handbag which contained heart and cancer medication and her wedding and engagement rings.

Newcastle Crown Court heard Pedersen, of North Shields, kicked her victim's walking stick when she tried to stop them fleeing.

Prosecutor Rachael Glover said the pair fled with £400 in cash during the raid in January 2024.In a victim impact statement the pensioner said she struggles to sleep since the robbery.

She also said she had to take out a bank loan to replace the missing cash.

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The woman added: "I never used to feel my age but I do now."Pedersen, who has 53 previous convictions for 132 offences, admitted a charge of robbery.She also admitted perverting the course of justice after giving a false name to police following a later shoplifting offence.

Judge Tom Moran described the robbery as "particularly wicked and cowardly".

He added: "You clearly targeted the victim due to her vulnerability."

Pedersen was jailed for a total of seven years for both offences.