A man who punched two women in an attempt to steal their handbags has been jailed for two and a half years.

Darren Anglin, 20, had committed a similar offence before, stealing a bag from a woman in a bar in 2005 after punching her in the face.

Anglin, of Alexandra Road, Devonshire, was handed an 18-month suspended prison sentence on that occasion, after a psychiatrist diagnosed him with a psychotic disorder.

However, the previous threat of custody was activated by a magistrate on top of a year-long sentence for his latest violent crime.

One of Anglin’s latest victims told The Royal Gazette she was left frightened after she and a friend were attacked by him while they were on their way home from a night out.

Gillian Henderson welcomed the jail sentence, saying of her ordeal: “It was very surprising and shocking. You look over your shoulder for a bit after and you’re extra-careful. I’ve moved on, but I’m still very conscious of what happened and alert.”

Crown counsel Nicole Smith told Magistrates’ Court the incident unfolded around 1.30 a.m. on August 16 last year, after Ms Henderson, 23, from Paget, and friend Leah Kempe, 25, from Smiths, left Cafe Cairo in Front Street in Hamilton.

When the two women were approaching the junction of Church and Burnaby Streets they saw Anglin step out from the doorway of the Cable and Wireless building, said Ms Smith.

His lower face and neck were covered with a bandanna as he punched Ms Kempe and tried to take her bag. She managed to get away from him, but he set on Ms Henderson, also demanding her purse, and punching her all over her body and face.

Ms Henderson tried to cower against the building to stop the blows, said Ms Smith, and they finally stopped when Ms Kempe called the Police and Anglin ran off.

When officers arrived they found Anglin on Brunswick Street about 150 metres from the scene of the crime. After a long chase, during which Anglin dropped the bandanna, he was arrested.

The victims were taken to hospital, where Ms Henderson was treated for bruises and abrasions to her face, a swollen lip and red marks on her arm. Ms Kempe did not require medical treatment.

Anglin pleaded guilty to two offences of assault with attempt to rob at his Magistrates’ Court appearance last week, during which defence lawyer Craig Attridge raised questions about his client’s ability to serve time in prison. After Anglin’s previous robbery in 2005, he received a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for three years, after Mr. Attridge produced a letter from a psychiatrist saying Anglin had been diagnosed with a pyschotic disorder and was a potential suicide risk at Westgate.

Puisne Judge Ian Kawaley ruled at the time that Anglin would be too traumatised by prison for it to do either the public or him any good, although the Court of Appeal later increased the 12-month suspended sentence to one of 18 months.

Last week, Mr. Attridge produced a further letter from the same doctor, which he told the court spoke to the effect custody has on Anglin.

“If time is going to affect him more than someone else there should be a shorter amount of time served,” he argued.

Sentencing Anglin, Acting Magistrate Justin Williams said: “This is a serious offence and he has a conviction for a very similar incident last year. I will take into account his age and his particular difficulty with imprisonment.”

He then activated the 18 months imprisonment, with an additional 12 months for the offence last year, with two years of probation to follow.