[A] CARLISLE burglar who snatched a handbag from the bedside of a sleeping elderly victim has been locked up.
Drug addict David Robert Purdie, 23, was high on prescription medication when he forced his way into an 80-year-old woman’s city home in the early hours of December 21.
Purdie removed a bag containing jewellery and cash from the bedside of the infirm householder, who was sleeping downstairs due to mobility issues. He then caused £3,500 damage inside the property before fleeing through an upstairs window. He was caught close to the scene of his crime by police following a short chase through neighbouring gardens.
At Carlisle Crown Court today (THURS), Purdie of Geltsdale Avenue, Carlisle was jailed for 40 months having admitted burglary. Recorder Michael Murray heard the victim had been left “shocked and shattered” by the break-in.
Recorder Murray told “remorseful” Purdie, who was said to have no memory of the offence: “You should be utterly ashamed of yourself to carry out such a cowardly attack.”
