Jailed: Walsall prostitutes in handbag robbery and stab threat

And one of them, who committed an attempted robbery the following day, sold a tablet stolen from a house to try and fund her and another druggie pals' habit.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how Kayley Roberts pounced on her unsuspecting victim, a widow in her 50s, in the first robbery, before calling Rebecca Tonkinson over to put the frighteners on her when she couldn't wrestle the bag away.

Prosecutor Ian Ball said: "The robbery took place on October 20, 2015, of a lady's handbag.

"She left home and headed towards Wednesbury Road bus stop on the day of the attack when she saw two females shouting to one another behind her. She went across the road and waited at the bus stop. She then heard someone behind her who grabbed her handbag.

"Roberts was holding onto the bag. A tug of war then took place. The victim attempted to hit the attacker to get her to release the bag.

"Roberts called over to Tonkinson to help get the bag. Tonkinson reached into her pocket and told the victim 'I'll f*****g stab you. Roberts took hold of the bag and made her escape.

"The victim didn't actually see if there was a knife. The incident has had a traumatic impact on the victim's life. Her bag wasn't recovered, and she lost her purse, camera, bank cards and the first photographs of her grandchildren. She also lost photos of her late parents. She is afraid to leave the house some mornings and is moving house because she doesn't feel safe in the area any more."

He continued: "An attempted robbery then took place the next day just before 2pm outside White Pearl Pharmacy in Darlaston.

"A 65-year-old woman had just left her flat and was walking past, when a girl arrived to try and snatch her bag.

"The woman held onto her bag but it was grabbed by Roberts with considerable force. A man saw what was happening and ran over to help and Roberts ran away.

"Then on October 27, a house was burgled in Walsall. The female occupier disturbed two people who were downstairs, and ran away when they heard her. She went downstairs to finds the front door wide open.

"Among the items they took was a Lenovo tablet, which Roberts attempted to sell at a branch of Cash Converters later that day."

The court heard the tablet had been acquired by her accomplice Carl Spragg.

Roberts, of Tantarra Street, Walsall, pleaded guilty to robbery, attempted robbery and handling stolen goods. Tonkinson, of St Johns Road, Walsall, pleaded guilty to robbery, and Spragg, of St Michaels Street, Walsall, pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods.

Mr David Swinnerton, defending Roberts, said that she had grown up with a mother who was a drug addict and an alcoholic, and she had been in and out of care. He said she has had heroin and crack cocaine addictions since the age of 18, and turned to prostitution and shoplifting to feed her habit.

Mr Oliver Woolhouse, defending Tonkinson, said that she was a mother-of-five who had her first child at the age of 16, and that she turned to prostitution and petty crime to fund drug habits after losing custody of her children following an abusive relationship.

Judge Peter Barrie sentenced Roberts to two-and-a-half years in prison and Tonkinson to 11 months behind bars. Spragg was handed a sentence of four months, but was released having already served the time.