Street robbery was 'everyone's worst nightmare'

A woman who punched a reveller in the face while her gang robbed him on a night out has been jailed for a year and a half.

The man was chased down by four people and attacked in the centre of Newcastle in March, in what a judge called "everyone's worst nightmare", the city's crown court heard.

Michaela Lawson, 35, punched the man four times leaving him with a "busted lip" while one of her accomplices hit him in the ribs and stole his wallet, the court heard.

Lawson, of no fixed abode, admitted robbery.

The man had returned to Newcastle's Central Station from a night out with friends in South Shields shortly after midnight on 4 March, prosecutor Rachael Glover said.

As he left the station, he was approached by a man who he tried to ignore and then fled when he became "argumentative", the court heard.

The victim was pursued by the man and caught up with on Clayton Street, by which time the attacker had been joined by two other men and Lawson, the court heard.

One man dragged the victim into an alleyway while Lawson struck him repeatedly in the face and another man hit him in the ribs, the court heard.

The gang fled after taking the victim's wallet, which contained his bank cards, Glover said.

He sought help from another group of men and the police were called, the court heard.

The man had a "busted lip" and his banks cards were quickly used to make purchases in the city centre, Glover said.

As officers searched the area, Lawson walked by the police van where she was recognised and arrested.

Recorder Marco Giuliani said it was "quite frankly everyone's worst nightmare" with the man alone in the dark in a city centre when he was "accosted by a belligerent", who would "not leave him alone".

The judge said the group targeted the vulnerable man and "cornered" him, with Lawson the lead in delivering the blows in the "extremely unpleasant" attack.

The usage of his bank cards by his attackers added to the man's "nightmare", the court heard.

Lawson also admitted being involved in a burglary at a restaurant in Newcastle, in which a door was kicked in and she entered but did not steal anything.

The judge said in both cases she was in the presence of several men but was the only one yet to be convicted.

Lawson, who had 71 offences on her criminal record, was a "vulnerable" woman who was often exploited by men, the judge said, adding she had an " extremely traumatic upbringing" and showed all the signs of having untreated complex post-traumatic stress disorder.

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