Bridgwater man jailed for robbing woman in New Years Eve attack

He was identified following CCTV enquiries

Author: Grace O'HarePublished 25th Jul 2024

Avon and Somerset Police have confirmed a man has been jailed, after he robbed an elderly woman on New Years Eve in 2022 in Puriton.

The force said Cory Farrar, of Shervage Court, Bridgwater, watched the victim, who is aged in her 80s, buy groceries before following her onto Riverton Road.

He then snatched her bag of groceries and purse containing cash and bank cards, causing her to fall onto the floor.

Officers were able to identify him following CCTV enquiries and witness accounts.

He was arrested the following morning.

Farrar was subsequently charged with robbery and he pleaded guilty in May this year. He was sentenced to three years in prison when he appeared at Taunton Crown Court on Thursday 18 July.

"no longer see a future"

In her victim personal statement read out in court, the victim said the incident had had a “huge” impact on her health and that she would now no longer leave her home alone.

She said: “I have been so stressed. I am constantly looking over my shoulder, worried that he is near. My mental health has declined since the incident, and I can no longer see a future.”

She added: "I just want my life back. I want to be the person I was before 31 December 2022. I haven’t bounced back and I want nothing more than to not cry daily and return to some type of normality."

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