A ZIMBABWEAN teenager who beat a 66-year-old Hampshire (U.K.) postmistress over the head with a metal pipe was today put behind bars for seven years.
Admire Masaiti, 18, left Linda Scorey with two black eyes and bad cuts to her head in the attack at Sparsholt post office near Winchester.
Masaiti, who was wearing a hoodie, had demanded cash from Mrs Scorey after earlier buying 80p worth of sweets.
She pressed the shop's panic button and tried to shelter in the glass-partitioned post office but Masaiti, who was 17 at the time, hurled a rock through the window, breaking the glass.
He forced his way in and dragged Mrs Scorey out while she bravely tried to wrestle free. As the fighting continued, Masaiti hit her over the head with a metal pipe before running away.
The whole incident, on June 27 last year, was caught on the store's CCTV cameras.
Masaiti, from London, was caught when traces of his DNA were found on the sweets he had bought earlier and He had previous convictions for possessing an offensive weapon, shoplifting and street robbery.
Masaiti had pleaded guilty to assault with intent to rob at an earlier hearing.
Judge Thomas Longbotham, sitting at Winchester Crown Court, described the attack as "traumatic".
He told Masaiti: "The photographs of her injuries were the kind that would cause revulsion in the eyes of the public. It's a terrible thing to do to anyone.
"You must understand people cannot just forget about these incidents. This sort of offence stays with people and has a great effect on people beyond the physical injuries."
Matthew Morgan, mitigating, said that Masaiti, who is originally from Zimbabwe, was remorseful for the attack and that his offending had been a result of excessive drink and drugs. He added that his client had led a tough life since moving to London in 2005 to live with his aunt and that this had driven him to run away and get involved in drink and drugs.
Masaiti was handed an extended sentence of seven years custody in a young offenders' institution, which will be followed by a period of four years in licence.
sack him • na Subject: sack him pliz Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:55:24 • Why do children want to spoil the name of Zimbabwe like this.This boy should be deported anonyatsoba ave kumatongo.Imbwa yemunhu.why cant he respect vabereki vake for bringing hm here.Munyikiseyi ku jorodhani dzimwe imhepo .
BODIDILEE, BULAWAYO • na.byo.com Subject: VITO STREET MBARE 10pm. Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:46:23 • Dude you got it in ONE, exsay. Excellento! But dont shout too loud or we will be getting all these thugs sent to Zimbabwe just as they did in the old days to join the BSAP for 3 years.
n/a • n/a Subject: n/a Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:55:16 • After watching the video I say they should deport the little thug. How can you say you he had a tough life moving to London? If he thnks that is tough send him to Vito Street Mbare at 10pm and give him a camcorder, a cellphone, twenty pounds cash, some fancy sneakers and instructions to walk to Highfields. That will show him tough and then he can have respect for old people and more importantly he will realise what a blessing it is to be in the UK and he can make use of the benefits of living here like free education, a multitude of unis to choose from and a chance to make a life for himself. He is lazy and we shouldn't have any sympathy for him, he wanted to steal to fund a lifestyle when he could have worked hard for that lifestyle. And don't even call me brainwashed or unpatriotic for saying a privilege it is to be in the UK. I can be a patriotic Zimbabwean, supporting hondo yeminda and it doesn't mean you have to got around beating people up, stealing from them simply because they are British and Mugabe akamakana fongo nemaBritish. Empower yourself through learning and not violence.
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