A MAN has been jailed after he threatened a 73-year-old woman with a knife before pushing her out of a specially adapted car and attempting to drive it off in Yardley.
The woman, terrified at what was happening, attempted to defend herself by hitting him with her walking stick before she was grabbed and pushed her to the floor resulting in her hitting her head at the Swan Shopping Centre in December.
Thinking he had got away with the adapted Vauxhall Corsa, Norman sped off but hit the kerb leaving the car undrivable, before jumping into a white BMW 3 series that was following him.
It was part of a 24-hour violent robbery spree across Solihull Leon Norman went on in December.
Less than 24 hours later at a Costcutters store on Coventry Road, Norman who had just been refused a sale of cigarettes, became verbally abusive to a shop worker and returned seconds later with a machete and smashed the glass door of the shop.
He then travelled four miles up the road to a newsagent in Chelmsley Wood where he again brandished a machete and threatened the shop worker to move away from the till.
The quick thinking worker was able to press his panic alarm as Norman smashed the Perspex screen surrounding the till area and ran from the shop.
Within the hour and on the final stretch of his rampage, Norman travelled to Lea Hall and set upon his next victim, a postman, who was collecting mail from a post box, was approached by two men, one being Norman, who demanded the keys to his van.
He attempted to defend himself when the men started punching him in the head and body which resulted in him dropping the keys, providing the men access to the van.
The postman tried to stop them but was unsuccessful and Normal fled in the van.
Norman, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty at Birmingham Crown Court and was jailed for four years for robbery on a disabled woman, three years for attempted robbery, three years for robbery on the postman and 22 months for affray – all to run concurrently.
