A woman who helped rob a man in his 70s at knifepoint before leaving him in the road told police he “deserved it.”

Stacy Billington, 36, was already well known to the 71-year-old man who was “known to be alone” when she and another man lured him to a side street off Chorley Old Road to rob him on December 14 last year.

Bolton Crown Court heard how the man had driven to meet Billington, intending to spend some time with her, before he was alarmed to find another man get into the car.

Mark Friend, prosecuting, said: “They had decided to rob him at knifepoint in what the crown submit must have been a prolonged and terrifying experience.”

He told the court how that evening Billington, of Haydock Street, and her accomplice, who she at first falsely claimed was her brother, had their victim drive first to a shop on Halliwell Road to buy cigarettes.

The Bolton News: The case was heard at Bolton Crown CourtThe case was heard at Bolton Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)

They then drove around various roads before stopping near Chorley Old Road.

At this point both Billington and her accomplice pointed knives at the 71-year-old.

They took his bank card and PIN, which Billington then used to withdraw £110 from a nearby cash machine.

Mr Friend said: “This figure was not random, the bank account had in fact been emptied.”

They then drove to a town centre road where the pair robbed their victim again, taking his mobile phone

Mr Friend said: “He was then literally dragged to the side of the road, causing his shirt to rip and they then drove off, leaving him at the side of the road.”

Police officers found the car unlocked and abandoned the next day while Billington herself, who has 15 previous convictions for 27 offences, was arrested on December 22.

According to Mr Friend, she answered no comment to all questions put to her other than saying the 71-year-old victim “deserved to get robbed” because of the nature of their association with each other.

She eventually pleaded guilty to robbery, possession of a knife and fraud at a pre-trial review on March 22 this year.

Patrick Buckley, defending, argued that the 36-year-old was entitled to credit for having admitted her guilty and said that there were ongoing “concerns” about her mental well-being.

He also added that the “elephant in the room” had been the role of her male co-defendant, who was acknowledged to have been a “controlling and scary” influence on her but that she had shown she was capable of obeying the law when living away from such influences.

Mr Buckley said: “This is a woman in the grip of an addition that really only seems to cause problems when she’s in the Bolton area.”

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Recorder Carwyn Cox accepted that Billington was entitled to credit for having pleaded guilty and explained that he needed to work within legal guidelines when deciding her sentence.

But he reminded the defendant of the effect she had had on her victim.

He said: “There is no doubt that this has had a significant impact on him.

“He feels essentially betrayed by you.”

Recorder Cox sentenced Billington to a total of four years and three months in prison.