Teen mugger is jailed for attacks on four women
Jamie Symons, 19, stalked one woman of 27 as she walked home from her work on July 13.
Prosecutor David Gittins said it was 11.15pm and the woman had been working in a restaurant at Sutton Harbour. She saw Symons watching her and walked on, but he ran up to her, grabbed her and put his hand over her mouth.
She screamed and he snatched her handbag, which contained personal items including bank cards, which were never recovered.
The second woman, 22, was attacked 25 minutes later as she walked home from work at the Barbican. In Beaumont Road, St Judes, she heard footsteps behind her, reached for her phone and was grabbed from behind.
She was punched on the arm, sworn at and struck on the leg before letting go of her bag.
She then called the police, who arrested Symons four days later.
Symons admitted two other attacks on July 8.
In one, he tried to trick and then force his way into the home of a 64 year-old woman, and at 9.10am the same day snatched the bag of another woman as she walked alone in Peverell, but dumped it when he found no purse inside.
On July 17, his home at Vauxhall Street Flats, the Barbican, was searched and a mobile phone and an i-Pod stolen in the earlier robberies were found.
Mr Gittins told Plymouth Crown Court Symons was only 19 but had "substantial" previous convictions for threats of violence, carrying weapons and making threats to kill.
Malcolm Galloway, defending, said Symons had idolised his father, but had been taken into care when his father left home. His mother had disowned him, and he felt isolated and very alone.
In jail on remand he had proved a model prisoner.
Judge Paul Darlow said the two robberies were particularly serious as Symons had targeted women late at night and had watched and tracked them, using violence to steal their bags.
But he said the other two crimes would not have been detected had he not admitted them, and he was impressed by the way he had responded in jail.
He discounted his 42-month prison sentence by 14 months, jailing him for 28 months less 121 days spent on remand.
