A MAN who robbed two elderly people within three days has been locked up for five years.

Colton Bridgeman pounced on an 89-year-old man using a walking frame for some cash before robbing a female pensioner for her purse two days later.

Bridgeman, of Weavers Court, Harwich, admitted the two charges of robbery when he appeared at Ipswich Crown Court on Thursday.

The 20-year-old robbed the 89- year-old man in Foundation Street, Harwich, on August 10 for some cash. He then targeted a 78-year-old woman in Bond Street, Ipswich, on August 12.

He was given five years in a young offenders’ institution for robbing the man and a four-year concurrent sentence for robbing the woman.

Detective Inspector Eamonn Bridger, of Ipswich CID, said: “He preyed on the two elderly victims, one of whom used a walking frame.

“These are particularly despicable crimes as the victims are such vulnerable members of the public.

“The victims were both understandably very shaken from the incidents and I hope this sentence goes to show that robbery remains a priority for Suffolk Police and that offenders will be punished for their crimes.”

Bridgeman asked for seven offences committed in Suffolk – four burglaries, two thefts and one fraud – to be taken into account.