Victor Kennedy, of Captain Shutt Gardens in Portrush, Co. Antrim, was jailed for four and a half years after he admitted stealing £60 and a mobile phone from the disabled pensioner almost two years ago.

The Crown Court in Derry was told that Kennedy, who had eighty previous criminal convictions, tricked his way into his victim's Clements Gardens home on June 27, 2006, together with another man and a woman.

The pensioner was punched several times on the face and had his T-shirt pulled over his head before he eventually told Kennedy and the two other intruders where his money, laid out in envelopes for church collections, was hidden.

"The injured party struggled with one of the men and got his hands around his throat and the robber called for assistance from his accomplices", a prosecution barrister told Judge Desmond Marrinan Q.C.

"The infirm man, who has since lost his second leg, told them where the money was. At no time was he able to see the robbers because his house was in darkness at the time. It was a very unpleasant experience for the wheelchair bound victim who has made a good recovery from his ordeal", the barrister added.

A defence barrister said Kennedy was "shaken to the core" when he was informed by police that his victim was disabled and wheelchair bound and during police interviews remarked: "I am a scum for what I did".

The barrister described Kennedy as an alcoholic and he said Kennedy and his accomplices were "under a heavy degree of intoxication" at the time of the offence.

Jailing Kennedy for four and a half years, Judge Marrinan described the incident as an attack on the vulnerable and elderly.

"This was a terrifying incident for this elderly disabled man who was the victim of this robbery. This gentleman deserves great praise for his courage in having a go despite having been punched twice in the face and having his upper garment pulled over his head. The victim in this case was vulnerable both by his age and incapacity and you (Kennedy] violated the security and privacy of his home", he said.