A TEENAGER who carried out a terrifying knifepoint robbery at the home of an 87-year-old stroke victim has been locked up for four years.

Christopher Scaife, 18, put a knife to widow Annie Thornton's chest and forced her back into her Silsden home after she answered a knock on her door.

Prosecutor Austin Newman described how Mrs Thornton collapsed into a chair and suffered a severe attack of shortness of breath during the incident last April. Scaife, who was wearing a balaclava, rifled through her purse and took out about £15 in notes.

'Observing Mrs Thornton's distress the defendant asked her if she needed any tablets,' said Mr Newman.

After rummaging around on a table, Scaife handed Mrs Thornton a respirator before leaving with the money.

'Mrs Thornton was unable to go out immediately to raise the alarm, but fortunately about 10 minutes later her daughter came to visit her and the police were summoned.'

A neighbour who had seen Scaife preparing to commit the offence recognised him as his former paperboy and when police officers examined the scene they also found his fingerprints on a cup.

Scaife, who had no previous convictions, was arrested the next day from his home in Windsor Avenue, Silsden. He denied being involved in the offence, but last Friday was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court after pleading guilty to robbery.

Scaife's barrister, Robin Denny, said fortunately the elderly woman did not suffer any long-term effects and he noted that his client's 'act of mercy' had resulted in their being more evidence against him.

Judge Alistair McCallum sentenced Scaife to four years in a young offender institution and told him: 'You have pleaded guilty to what is described by the psychiatrist who examined you as a serious and horrific crime.

'Having read the reports in your case it seems that you have shown very little remorse for what you did.

'You were not drunk at the time. You were not under the influence of drugs and I'm told you pose a danger to the public in future.'

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.