A teenager who broke a 91-year-old woman's wrist in a violent robbery so he had "money to spend on having a good time" has been jailed for more than two years.

The boy, a 16-year-old, snatched the elderly victim's handbag from her hand as she was walking along an alleyway between Broadwater Down and Cobbetts Ride, Tunbridge Wells.

The July attack caused the woman - who had been holding a walking stick in her other hand - to fall to the ground. She hit her face on the concrete and broke her left wrist.

Then on August 1, another woman was robbed as she made her way from the area of Showfields Road towards Linden Park Road.

The second victim, aged in her 60s, became aware of someone running up behind her. As she glanced back to see who it was, her handbag was yanked from her hands.

Both plain clothed and uniformed officers then scoured areas near Cobbetts Ride in a search for the youth.

CCTV footage showed him shadowing his victim in the first robbery and gave officers a clear description of who they were looking for.

Within hours of the second robbery, the boy was recognised by a local police officer and arrested.

During police interview the youth admitted both offences.

"It is very rare for elderly victims to be so callously targeted in this manner" - DC, Rex Dinnage...

He told detectives that he had targeted the eldest victim because she was frail and would not be able to fight off or chase him.

His motivation in both incidents was to get cash to buy cigarettes and cannabis and 'have money to spend on having a good time with friends'.

He later pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and was sentenced to two years and four months at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday.

After the hearing, Detective Constable Rex Dinnage said: !It is very rare for elderly victims to be so callously targeted in this manner.

"However, a fast response by officers on the ground and assistance from various holders of CCTV recording systems combined - to ensure the offending youth was effectively pictured, subsequently identified, and quickly arrested, leading to this conviction for these serious offences."