A SCHOOLBOY mugger broke an 82-year-old woman's hip as he robbed her in a Worcester alley to repay a drug debt.

Matthew Davies, aged 16, was playing truant when he wrenched a shopping bag from victim Diana Watkins' grasp.

He heard her hip break as she toppled to the ground in the tussle but callously left her lying in agony, William Rickarby, prosecuting, told Worcester Crown Court.

It took 10 minutes for an elderly man to find the stricken OAP and summon help.

Since the attack in broad daylight, she has been left virtually housebound and suffers from depression. She can now only walk with a frame.

Davies, of Langdale Drive, Warndon, Worcester, was desperate for £35 to repay a drug dealer he feared would injure him with weapons.

Judge Andrew Geddes said it was "an outrageous act" on a vulnerable pensioner and sentenced Davies to two years' youth custody yesterday.

He told the weeping defendant: "You knew fully what you were doing. The elderly woman's life is substantially impaired by what you've done."

The court heard that Davies, who admitted robbery, was 15 when he struck on October 28 last year as Mrs Watkins was on her way into the city centre to exchange some books.

Mrs Watkins, who suffered from brittle bone disease, was walking along the alley to a bus stop when she was confronted by Davies and two other schoolboys.

Davies urged his friends to run after Mrs Watkins fell over. The other two, later charged with handling stolen goods, gave evidence against Davies to police.

He confessed he used the money he found in two purses to pay off a drug dealer.

Davies had previous convictions for theft and criminal damage.

Vanessa Meachin, defending, said he wanted to apologise to the victim for the distress he caused her.

The robbery coincided with a period of family disharmony and drug-taking by the teenager.

She added: "He owed a dealer £35 and feared violence would be meted out to him. He thought weapons would be involved. He acted on the spur of the moment."

Miss Meachin claimed all three youths were involved in the crime. Davies felt a sense of injustice because the others were given supervision orders for a reduced charge of handling.

An application to lift the 16-year-old's automatic right to anonymity was granted by the judge.