Jason Hall was handed three years behind bars for attempting to mug an elderly woman when she was guiding her blind husband whilst out shopping . A thug who tried to mug a pensioner and her blind husband has been jailed after being caught when Good Samaritans gave chase. Jason Hall, 39, carried out the 'despicable' theft after he spotted the elderly couple withdrawing £3,000 from a cashpoint on January 21. He then followed the 83-year-old woman and her 86-year-old husband down an alleyway before pushing them both to the ground. After a tussle, Hall managed the wrestle the handbag from the woman's grasp and sprinted off from the scene in Bilston, West Midlands. But shoppers who witnessed the robbery - including a woman in her 60s - bravely gave chase and managed to stop Hall as he tried to jump over a bridge onto a tram line. They then frog-marched the unemployed drug addict back to the scene of the attack to force him to hand back the money and he was arrested by police soon after. Hall, from Bilston, pleaded guilty to robbery and was jailed for three years at Wolverhampton Crown Court. But he showed no remorse as he sat back in the dock with his arms outstretched wearing a grey jumper and grey jogging bottoms as details of his crime were read out. Prosecutor Alka Brigue told the court: 'The victim suffers from osteoarthritis and she was with her husband who is registered as blind. 'They had been to Natwest bank in Bilston town centre to withdraw money. She had put the money into an envelope placed it in her bag and balanced it on her zimmer frame. 'They walked down the alleyway which was at the side of the bank. CCTV shows the defendant went outside the bank and followed them. 'He has grabbed the bag and there was struggle. The defendant pushed the complainant who has lost balance and fallen on to her husband who has also fallen to the ground. 'This was witnessed by several members of the public. This included a lady in her 60s who chased after the defendant as far as she could.' In a victim impact statement which was read out in court, the frail pensioner, who was not named, said: 'This man doesn’t have the right to steal my money. Hall, 39, carried out the 'despicable' theft after he spotted the elderly couple withdrawing £3,000 from this cashpoint in Bilston town centre . The pedestrianised Church Street, in Bilston, West Midlands, where Hall spotted the couple taking cash out of a machine before he mugged them . 'This has left me shaken up. It felt like a dream as it happened and I am grateful that I was not badly injured. I should be able to go about my business. I believe I was targeted because I was disabled.' Defending Hall, who has 27 convictions and 38 offences spanning 23 years, Adrian Stephens told the court: 'He believed he could take the bag and just run. 'But he couldn’t, it was a bag snatch that went wrong. The problem with Mr Hall is that for 18 or 19 years he has been a class A drug addict. 'He comes out of prison with the intention to start again and falls into the same pattern.' Speaking after the hearing, Detective Sergeant Nick Walton, from West Midlands Police, said: 'Hall was prepared to target an elderly, vulnerable couple and use force in order to get his hands on their possessions. 'What he didn’t count on was that the victims refused to give up, even when he knocked the pair of them to the floor. 'The caring and swift actions of passers-by meant that the couple were not only cared for until police arrived, but that the offender was captured when kind-hearted locals gave chase. 'The elderly woman, although shaken by her ordeal, was thankfully unhurt and hopefully knowing that the man responsible is now in prison will offer the couple some comfort.'
Jason Hall, 39, spotted the elderly couple withdrawing £3,000 .
He then followed the pair, aged 83 and 86, down an alleyway .
Hall wrestled a bag from the woman's grasp and sprinted off .
But witnesses in Bilston saw what happened and gave chase .
Hall was caught and has been handed three years behind bars .
Jason Hall was handed three years behind bars for attempting to mug an elderly woman when she was guiding her blind husband whilst out shopping . A thug who tried to mug a pensioner and her blind husband has been jailed after being caught when Good Samaritans gave chase. Jason Hall, 39, carried out the 'despicable' theft after he spotted the elderly couple withdrawing £3,000 from a cashpoint on January 21. He then followed the 83-year-old woman and her 86-year-old husband down an alleyway before pushing them both to the ground. After a tussle, Hall managed the wrestle the handbag from the woman's grasp and sprinted off from the scene in Bilston, West Midlands. But shoppers who witnessed the robbery - including a woman in her 60s - bravely gave chase and managed to stop Hall as he tried to jump over a bridge onto a tram line. They then frog-marched the unemployed drug addict back to the scene of the attack to force him to hand back the money and he was arrested by police soon after. Hall, from Bilston, pleaded guilty to robbery and was jailed for three years at Wolverhampton Crown Court. But he showed no remorse as he sat back in the dock with his arms outstretched wearing a grey jumper and grey jogging bottoms as details of his crime were read out. Prosecutor Alka Brigue told the court: 'The victim suffers from osteoarthritis and she was with her husband who is registered as blind. 'They had been to Natwest bank in Bilston town centre to withdraw money. She had put the money into an envelope placed it in her bag and balanced it on her zimmer frame. 'They walked down the alleyway which was at the side of the bank. CCTV shows the defendant went outside the bank and followed them. 'He has grabbed the bag and there was struggle. The defendant pushed the complainant who has lost balance and fallen on to her husband who has also fallen to the ground. 'This was witnessed by several members of the public. This included a lady in her 60s who chased after the defendant as far as she could.' In a victim impact statement which was read out in court, the frail pensioner, who was not named, said: 'This man doesn’t have the right to steal my money. Hall, 39, carried out the 'despicable' theft after he spotted the elderly couple withdrawing £3,000 from this cashpoint in Bilston town centre . The pedestrianised Church Street, in Bilston, West Midlands, where Hall spotted the couple taking cash out of a machine before he mugged them . 'This has left me shaken up. It felt like a dream as it happened and I am grateful that I was not badly injured. I should be able to go about my business. I believe I was targeted because I was disabled.' Defending Hall, who has 27 convictions and 38 offences spanning 23 years, Adrian Stephens told the court: 'He believed he could take the bag and just run. 'But he couldn’t, it was a bag snatch that went wrong. The problem with Mr Hall is that for 18 or 19 years he has been a class A drug addict. 'He comes out of prison with the intention to start again and falls into the same pattern.' Speaking after the hearing, Detective Sergeant Nick Walton, from West Midlands Police, said: 'Hall was prepared to target an elderly, vulnerable couple and use force in order to get his hands on their possessions. 'What he didn’t count on was that the victims refused to give up, even when he knocked the pair of them to the floor. 'The caring and swift actions of passers-by meant that the couple were not only cared for until police arrived, but that the offender was captured when kind-hearted locals gave chase. 'The elderly woman, although shaken by her ordeal, was thankfully unhurt and hopefully knowing that the man responsible is now in prison will offer the couple some comfort.'
Jason Hall was handed three years behind bars for Good Samaritans gave chase. Jason Hall, 39, spotted the elderly couple withdrawing £3,000 from a cashpoint on January 21. He then followed down an alleyway before pushing them both to the the handbag from the woman's grasp and sprinted off from the scene in Bilston, West Midlands. But