Plucky 5ft 3" grandmother confronted robbers stealing £7,000 trailer from her driveway in the night

The woman confronted David Jones and his accomplice a commotion outside her home woke her up at around 4am on August 15. She looked out to see two men trying to cut through the locks to the trailer and a wood chipper on her drive on St Andrew’s Road, Castleford, which belonged to her grandson.

The brave woman, who suffers from COPD and has had two heart attacks, hurried outside and tried to intervene but was repeatedly pushed away by Jones, prosecutor Nick Adlington told Leeds Crown Court.

But before they fled on a quad bike with the £7,000 equipment hitched onto the back, she was able to grab Jones’ hat. His DNA was later found in the hat. A short time later a witness recognised Jones on the bike and informed police.

Around 45 minutes after the theft, the police found the men with the trailer near to Fryston Woods, but they drove off into the woods on the quad bike. Jones, 32, was later arrested and gave a mix no comments and denials during his police interview.

The grandmother had sustained two cuts to her arm during the scuffle, although it was no known how exactly they were inflicted.

Jones, of Fryston Road, Castleford, has 40 previous convictions for 83 offences, included aggravated vehicle taking and commercial burglaries. He is already serving a sentence for breaching a previous suspended sentence. He appeared in court via video link from HMP Hull, where he admitted a charge of robbery.

Mitigating, Mark Foley said Jones was “not a sophisticated offender” and was simply offered £100 to take part in the robbery of the trailer and woodchipper. He said: “For someone addicted to drugs that was a considerable sum of money.

"He did not have any intention to cause any serious injury. He bitterly regrets it. He has to bear the brunt of responsibility.”

Judge Anesh Pema jailed Jones for 53 months and said: “She bravely went out to intervene, and you responded by pushing her away repeatedly. Your contact resulted in her injuries.”