Police have released CCTV of an 89-year-old woman being mugged at a bus stop by an attacker who was arrested and charged within hours.

Kirsty Moxon knocked her victim to the ground, causing the pensioner to hit her head and break her arm, in the lunchtime attack in Rotherham South Yorkshire, on Tuesday November 17 last year.

The mugger, wearing a coat with a thick hood, was captured on a pub’s CCTV camera, running away from the scene with the victim’s handbag and walking frame.

She got away with £300 and also took the woman’s bank cards and car keys.

South Yorkshire Police said officers quickly identified Moxon and she was arrested hours later.

The defendant, of Whitegate Walk, was charged with robbery the following day and the force said she appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday where she was jailed for two-and-a-half years after pleading guilty.

Pc Jack Mitchell said: “This was a particularly shocking incident which saw a vulnerable woman targeted and attacked.

“Although we were very quickly able to apprehend Moxon, the attack left the woman requiring a prolonged period of recovery, taking away her independence.”

Local people rallied round to help, the officer added.

“Although upsetting, the robbery provoked a tremendous response from the local community who set up a fundraiser to reimburse the woman for the money Moxon had stolen,” he said.

“I want to wholeheartedly thank everyone involved in this, for their positive response and support they have provided to both us and the victim.

 “I am glad we were able to put Moxon before the courts and secure a custodial sentence.

“Our job is to protect the most vulnerable people in our society, and I do hope the local community is reassured by the fast and positive action taken by us in this case.”