A DEESIDE shoplifter has been jailed after he admitted taking the purse of an elderly woman who had collapsed in the street.

Robert Bryn Williams, of Chester Road West, appeared at Mold Crown Court on Friday afternoon.

He had previously admitted two offences of theft from shops, as well as the theft of a purse and fraud by false representation - all of which took place last year.

Nicola Williams, prosecuting, told the court the 55-year-old had gone into Aldi in Buckley twice on a day in February, both times with a female in a wheelchair.

He selected bottles of whiskey and lamb legs, which were concealed in a bag at the back of the wheelchair.

Williams also attempted to take two bottles of champagne - worth a total of £165 - from Sainsbury's at Plas Coch in Wrexham on September 9.

He used tinfoil to cover security tags on the bottles, but was escorted back into the store before the items were taken back.

The court heard his most serious offence took place on June 15, when a woman in her 80s collapsed on the pavement in Brunswick Road, Buckley.

Ms Williams told the court the defendant was one of several people who tried to help Margaret Fairclough.

He went to the fire station to fetch a defibrillator, but her condition deteriorated and she developed breathing difficulties.

When ambulance staff arrived, he was given her bag to hold while they administered treatment.

Williams took her purse from the bag and put it in his pocket.

He later used a bank card inside the purse to buy cigarettes and a bus ticket.

The court heard Ms Fairclough has since died and the offences caused a great deal of upset for her family.

Ms Williams said the offences also put Williams in breach of a suspended sentence and a conditional discharge - which were also handed down for shoplifting offences.

Henry Hills, defending, said: "In my submission, Mr Williams' initial motivations were very positive - he sought to help Ms Fairclough.

"He has not been using drugs for the last two months and is engaging with all relevant services."

Judge Rhys Rowlands told Williams: "You fetched a defibrillator from the fire station nearby - you were no good Samaritan. "Quite the opposite. When handed her handbag while paramedics treated her you took her purse at a time when the elderly victim was plainly gravely ill. "The victim had dementia. She had collapsed on the street.

"She was just about as vulnerable as you could get and the effect has been profound on the family.

"You have shown a complete lack of any moral compass. Such behaviour beggars belief."

Judge Rowlands handed Williams a ten month immediate custodial sentence for stealing the purse, but imposed no separate penalty for fraud by the use of the bank card.

He did hand Williams a two month consecutive sentence for the theft from Sainsbury's, but no separate penalty for the offence at Aldi.

Finally, the breached suspended sentence and conditional discharge brought him a pair of additional one month consecutive sentences, bringing his overall total jail time to 14 months.