A KNIFE-WIELDING mugger who attacked a woman after she won more than £1,000 on a fruit machine has been jailed.
William Smith was arrested in Shoreham last year after CCTV captured footage of him attacking a woman near an arcade.
The 27-year-old threatened the woman with a knife, repeatedly demanded that she hand over her purse which contained £1,100 in cash.
He lunged at her and there was struggle which ended with Smith picking the victim’s purse off the ground and running away.
Police found a hat at the scene that Smith had been wearing that had fallen off during the struggle.
CCTV footage was gathered following the incident on June 2 last year, and Smith was identified by a member of the public after the image was released as part of an appeal for information.
Smith was subsequently traced to an address in Shoreham and was arrested in August last year.
During a police interview, he claimed that he was not in the area on the day of the mugging.
However, forensic tests revealed his DNA profile on the hat found on the scene in Leysdown-on-Sea, Kent.
Smith, of Meopham, Kent, pleaded guilty to robbery and possessing a bladed article in a public place.
He was jailed for six years at Woolwich Crown Court on Wednesday, February 16.
Detective Constable Dan Bister, of Kent Police, said: ‘The levels of violence that Smith was prepared to use to steal this money shows him to be a clear danger to the public.
“We will never show any tolerance for offending of this nature and I am pleased that we have now secured justice for the victim of this case.”
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