'Shame on you' - Jail for thug who broke wrist of South Tyneside pensioner in unprovoked attack
"We all feel devastated by this one person's actions. The pain he has caused is unreal."
A thug pushed over a frail Alzheimer's patient and fractured her wrist and back in a sickening street attack.
The 78-year-old victim, who was still active and independent but had help at home from carers, had been on her way to her local shop in Hebburn, when she encountered Dean McLellan, who has a record for violence.
Newcastle Crown Court heard McLellan was with a woman and young child and the pensioner had stopped to talk to the baby before the powerfully built brute told her "out of my f**** way" and pushed her backwards.
The victim landed hard on the concrete ground, suffered a broken wrist and fracture to a vertebrae in her spine, which left her in agonising pain, while McLellan "callously and casually" walked away.
McLellan, 38, of no fixed address, who was on a community order for battery at the time, admitted causing grievous bodily harm and has been jailed for 30 months.
Judge Tom Moran said: "She was a physically slight and obviously frail person. She was, however, also an active, friendly and sociable person.
"She was having a friendly and pleasant exchange with the woman you were with, that included her engaging with the child in the pram and seemed to be the sort of healthy, human interaction that no doubt was one of the things she enjoyed and made life worthwhile.
"For reasons only you could explain, you said to her 'out of my f***** way'.
"You forcibly pushed an obviously frail and vulnerable, elderly woman.
"Almost as shocking is what you did next, when she was lying in agony on the floor having been thrown back by you, you were totally uninterested, you callously and casually went on your way.
"Shame on you for such despicable behaviour."
The court heard the victim was taken to hospital, needed a cast and splint put on her wrist which meant she was left struggling to even have a cup of tea, feed herself or attend to her own personal care.
Judge Moran added: "She is frightened now by what might happen, while her daughter says there has been a massive change overall."
Prosecutor Richard Herrmann said it was on June 23 when the vulnerable pensioner went to the shop and encountered McLellan, who was wearing shorts and no top and was in the company of a woman and young child.
Mr Herrmann said while McLellan went into the shop, the pensioner had a "friendly and good natured" conversation with the woman and baby.
The victim was initially in front of the pushchair talking to the baby but moved aside when McLellan came out and went behind the pushchair.
The court heard "powerfully built" McLellan then pushed the victim backwards in a "wholly unprovoked and wholly unjustified or justifiable" attack.
Mr Herrmann said McLellan appeared "utterly unconcerned" that the pensioner ended up on the floor.
The victim was unable to make a statement herself but her daughter said she was "angry, sickened and traumatised" by what happened to her mum, who had to stay in hospital.
The daughter said her mum could not hold anything, "even a cup of tea" and her care plan has had to be increased to four carers per day instead of the two she had previously.
The pensioner now rarely goes further than her own front door and her daughter added: "She is not the happy person she was.
"We all feel devastated by this one person's actions. The pain he has caused is unreal."
Jason Smith, defending, said McLellan has shown remorse and added: "It was a gross act, a gross act of stupidity, mean and he accepts that.
"He accepts it should not have happened, he is very, very sorry indeed."