A MAN who was spared prison after robbing a 74-year-old woman in Port Glasgow committed a further crime of dishonesty after targeting the elderly pensioner.

James Harvey, 48, stole a quantity of alcohol from a Co-op store in Gourock whilst on two sheriff court bail orders regarding other criminal matters.

Harvey helped himself to £41 worth of booze from the Shore Street shop, nearly two years after leaving the OAP 'shaken' as he ran off with the contents of her purse.

A sheriff decided not to jail Harvey over the robbery last year — despite a record of shoplifting offences totalling more than £1,000 — after hearing that he is an 'intelligent man'.

Lawman Neil Kinnear said at the time: "I'm rather reluctant to jail him if he has potential, and that is in society's interests."

Harvey, of Moidart Road in Port Glasgow, was caught on camera as he stole the alcohol from the store on January 11 last year.

Prosecutor Maria Murdoch told the sheriff court: "The offence was captured on CCTV and there was no recovery of the stolen items.

"The accused was on bail regarding allegations of analogous offending at the time."

The Telegraph told last year how Harvey committed the shocking daylight robbery at the Port's Dubbs Road just a month after being given a community-based sentence for other offences.

He offered to assist his pensioner victim at an ATM machine as she lifted £150 in cash before swiping her money after she'd put her bag on the ground as she waited for a bus.

The Co-op shoplifting offence hearing was told that a 90-hour unpaid work order and a 12-month electronic tagging curfew imposed on Harvey for the robbery were still in place.

Sheriff Michael Higgins deferred sentence until March 22 for a community payback order progress report.

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