A 92-year-old great-grandmother battled through her pain to see the brutal thug who mugged her for £2 jailed for eight years.

Millie Kershaw was bruised and bloodied in the attack. Her hip and wrist were shattered. Doctors feared she would not survive.

In her bag was £2, a bottle of wine, a bunch of cherries, potatoes and a copy of The Argus.

This was Andrew Bowcott's pathetic haul.

Jurors unanimously found Bowcott, 39, guilty of robbery after a three-day trial at Lewes Crown Court.

Sitting at Mrs Kershaw's side in the public gallery was his second elderly victim. Pamela Still, 73, also still suffers the effects of Bowcott's violence.

A retired nursing sister at Brighton General Hospital, she was on her doorstep in Hove after collecting her pension from a nearby post office when Bowcott struck.

He grabbed her, spun her around and hurled her to the floor breaking her shoulder and leg. She has had two operations and is still receiving treatment.

Horrified witnesses gave chase and collared Bowcott as he tried to hail a cab.

He was captured and held until the police arrived.

Despite being caught red-handed carrying out this second attack in January, which he admitted, Bowcott maintained to the very end he was innocent of mugging Mrs Kershaw the previous May.

It was only when his ex-girlfriend Victoria Bedford, 25, contacted the police that the case could go to court.

Yesterday, both of his victims said they were pleased justice had been done.

Speaking with quiet dignity after the verdict, Mrs Kershaw said Bowcott's actions had made her too scared to go out of her home.

She said: "I'm housebound now. I don't go out unless someone takes me.

"I'm very pleased I came to court to see him sentenced. This is a long sentence, but then I don't think he should have done what he did."

She said she had no sympathy for his plea in mitigation that his heroin addiction was to blame. She said: "You should not start on drugs and then you would not have that problem."

She also refused to accept an apology, saying simply: "I don't believe a word he says."

Mrs Still made the journey to court to watch each day of the trial. She said: "I still cannot believe what happened to me.

"It has changed my life. To an extent he has ruined my life because he stopped me getting out and about and socialising.

"I used to go swimming three times a week.

"It is such a good result. I wanted to see it all so I could put it all behind me.

"I am glad I was able to sit next to Millie to hear the verdict. He won't get me down. Millie said the same."

The attacks on the two women shocked the city.

Mrs Kershaw was inundated with flowers and get well cards landed on her doorstep from across the UK.

A private security firm offered to escort her every time she went out.

Jailing him for a total of eight years, Judge Anthony Scott-Gall told Bowcott his actions were "callous, cowardly and savage".

He said his victims had led full and rewarding lives until he had struck.

He said: "You have absolutely nothing to show for your life. You have been a persistent offender for years."

He said targeting elderly women was a serious crime.

He told Bowcott: "I regard you as somebody who is a risk to elderly ladies. They present an easy target to the likes of you because they are defenceless, not as agile as young people and are more trusting."

After the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Martyn Underhill described Bowcott as an extremely dangerous man.

He said police had feared Mrs Kershaw might die as a result of the attack.

A major police hunt was launched to track down Mrs Kershaw's attacker and an e-fit picture was widely publicised.

He said: "These were horrendous offences which traumatised Brighton and Hove. Thankfully, they don't happen very often.

"Bowcott is an extremely dangerous character.

"We thought Millie was going to die because of the severity of the attack. I'm very glad to see him sentenced.

"It is a disgusting offence and one that appals most people in Sussex. It is the worst type of crime you can commit."

Bowcott did not give evidence during the trial.

In an interview with police he denied robbing Mrs Kershaw. He said he was begging at the time.

He said his ex-girlfriend was lying because she was vindictive and wanted to cause him trouble.

David Lyons, defending, told the court Bowcott, who was living in a van in Preston Park, had stopped taking drugs while in prison.

He said: "Since he has been off drugs, he sees what an absolutely disgusting thing he did to these ladies and he is genuinely remorseful.

"He now bitterly regrets what he did. He wishes to express his apologies to the ladies."

Miss Bedford, a former drug addict with a previous conviction for stealing a woman's bag on a bus, is now expected to receive part of an £11,000 reward put up by the police for information leading to Bowcott's arrest.