Man who kicked and punched pensioner suffering from Parkinson’s disease during ‘cowardly’ Blackburn robbery jailed

The 78-year-old victim had been advised by his doctor to take short walks twice a day to help with his condition.

He was walking on Stoneyhurst Road when he was approached and attacked by two men on the evening of January 18.

They kicked and punched him, causing him to fall to the ground, before stealing his mobile phone and a quantity of cash.

John McKay, 47, was one of the two offenders.

McKay, of Shadsworth Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to an offence of robbery at Burnley Crown Court.

He was sentenced to three years in prison

DC Adele Hassall, of Blackburn CID, said: “This was a cowardly attack on a vulnerable member of the community.

“People are entitled to walk the streets safely and we welcome the prison sentence imposed on McKay.”