A man who shoved an 86-year-old woman to the floor to steal her bus pass and £15 cash has been jailed.
Darius Brazinskas, 41, attacked the elderly victim in an alleyway next to Sainsbury’s in Dunstable Road at about 2.45pm on February 27.
He then grabbed her purse containing her bus pass and £15 from her coat pocket as she lay on the floor before running off.
The woman was taken to hospital by ambulance and had to undergo an emergency hip replacement.
Detectives managed to find CCTV footage of Brazinskas as he fled the scene and circulated to the public through a media appeal.
Four days later, CCTV operators who recognised him from the image, spotted Brazinskas at the entrance to the same alleyway and alerted officers who attended and arrested him.
Brazinskas, of no fixed address, denied robbery but was convicted following a four-day trial at Luton Crown Court today.
He was jailed for four years and two months.
Detective constable Rachel Lydon said: “This was a despicable robbery where the offender has targeted a vulnerable elderly lady.
“She has suffered with her health since the robbery and it has had a real impact on her quality of life.
“It was thanks to the quick actions of the CCTV operators who spotted Brazinskas that he was caught amd brought to justice before he could strike again.”
A family member of the victim said that her injuries had been “life changing”.