A shameless thief could be Britain‘s worst low-life after he robbed a disabled man on a mobility scooter of £1,100 after the elderly gentleman offered to give him some spare change.
How he robbed the disabled man
Andrew Merritt, 34, asked the 88-year-old victim if he could spare him £2 and the kind pensioner took out his wallet to try and help him out, actually giving him £3.10.
But CCTV then showed Merritt – who has previous convictions relating to 118 offences – hugging the man before grabbing his wallet and walking away smiling.
His pleas fell on his deaf ears
As the elderly man pleaded for it back, the thug counted the large wad of £20 banknotes from inside the wallet.
He then kept the cash and dumped the wallet nearby.
Nottingham Crown Court heard Merritt stole £1,100 in the robbery which happened in Potter Street, Worksop, Notts., on August 1 this year.
Witnesses went to the elderly man’s aid before calling the police.
Footage shows Merritt stopping in a doorway of a house where he changed his T-shirt in a bid to avoid detection.
His arrest
Merritt was arrested after a police officer recognised him from the CCTV footage.
Bodycam footage shows Merritt being arrested as he lay on his bed six days after the robbery.
During a police interview, Merritt denied stealing the money, insisting the elderly man had agreed to purchase a bike from him.
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Merritt, of Cheapside, Worksop, later admitted robbery and on Wednesday he was jailed for four years at Nottingham Crown Court.
His sentencing
He was also given a Criminal Behaviour Order banning him from Workshop town centre for four years and ordered to pay a £228 victim surcharge.
The court heard he has previous convictions relating to 118 offences, including theft, shoplifting, assault, breaching court orders and burglaries.
Following the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Nick Hall, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: ‘Merritt’s actions were cowardly in the extreme.
‘He preyed on a vulnerable man knowing he would not be able to stop him making off with his money.
‘When he asked for £2, the elderly victim gave him that and more, out of the goodness of his heart.’
