Three years' jail for man who mugged woman at knifepoint

A MAN who robbed a woman of her bag at knifepoint in Christchurch has been jailed.

The victim had been walking past Waitrose at Bargates toward the A35 bypass at 10.25pm on 6th September when she was approached by Samuel Tye.

He pulled out a knife, described as having a three-inch blade, and demanded she hand over her bag, Bournemouth Crown Court was told.

The victim, a local woman in her 20s, begged to be allowed to keep her house keys and glasses. Tye agreed, but he took the bag with the rest of the contents and fled in the direction of the supermarket.

The woman contacted police and provided a description of the offender.

Officers attended and carried out a search of the area. Within minutes he was found in the High Street, where he was seen to put something into a post box.

Tye was arrested and a knife was found in his sock.

The victim’s bank cards were recovered from the post box and her bag was found on a trolley station at Waitrose.

Tye (31), of no fixed abode, was sent down for three years and four months after admitting charges of robbery and possession of a blade.

Speaking after the case DC Chris Waters, of Eastern CID, said: “This was a very frightening experience for the victim.

"I am glad that thanks to a swift response from officers, within minutes we were able to quickly identify and arrest the man responsible for this offence as well as recover the victim’s property.”