TWO men have been jailed for a total of almost 10 years for robbing an 86-year-old man of more than £2,000 and leaving his life in ruins.

Prolific offenders Tony McDonough, aged 30, and 36-year-old David Knight, mugged the pensioner in broad daylight in the centre of Tavistock.

Garage owner Robert Carr was dragged along the floor as he bravely tried to hang on to his takings, Plymouth Crown Court heard.

He was left bruised and grazed, needing physiotherapy and forced to use a walking stick.

Mr Carr said: ‘My life has been changed completely. I am not the person I was before. My doctor and physio have recommended that I undergo counselling.’

McDonough and Knight robbed Mr Carr in what one onlooker described as an ‘absolutely unbelievable’ incident.

They then spent hundreds of pounds of the stolen money on drugs.

Judge Ian Lawrie jailed Knight for five years and ten months and McDonough for three years and four months.

He said: ‘Mr Carr was an elderly man going about his lawful business in the quiet town of Tavistock and the last thing he expected was for someone to grab his bag and injure him in the process.

‘I hope you reflect long and hard on the way you have affected this man’s quality of life by your selfish actions in this robbery.’

The judge said that Mr Carr had ‘more fight’ in him than the pair expected.

McDonough wrestled Mr Carr to grab the satchel before getaway driver Knight helped him escape at about 10.30am on October 10 last year. One witness said Mr Carr was dragged along the ground for about the width of a car, leaving him badly bruised and grazed.

A statement from Mr Carr was read to the jury.

He said: ‘I cannot believe they could attack me. I am absolutely horrified. I was completely defenceless. I was in complete shock and struggled to get up from the ground.

‘Since the date of the attack, my movement has been restricted. I have to use a walking stick and I am getting physiotherapy.

‘My confidence has been knocked. Before this I was happy walking around town on my own, now I need a chaperone. My family are jumpy and nervous when I go out.’

Judge Lawrie also ordered the Renault Picasso used by Knight in the robbery be confiscated and destroyed.

Homeless Knight went on trial after he denied robbing Mr Carr at the junction of North Street and Pym Street on October 10 last year. It took less than 30 minutes for a jury to find him guilty by a unanimous verdict on Tuesday.

McDonough, of no fixed address, had already pleaded guilty to robbery and is behind bars.

Knight alone pleaded guilty to three earlier offences of theft, including stealing a Paignton Zoo charity box from The Queen’s Head pub in Tavistock.

He also admitted driving while disqualified and without insurance.

Knight has 99 previous offences, including driving matters, shoplifting and vagrancy.

Knight had sought to pull the wool over the eyes of the jury by covering a tattoo on his face, mentioned in the evidence, by covering it with a plaster. The small teardrop tattoo is a symbol indicating the bearer has killed someone.

Edward Bailey, for Knight, said his client had been abused while a boy and was in grip of a heroin addiction at the time.

He added he began using cannabis from the age of 12 and heroin from the age of 16 to blot out those memories.

Mr Bailey said: ‘In the last six months, while at Exeter Prison, he has managed to free himself from all illicit substances. He has handed a letter of apology to his solicitor to pass on to Mr Carr.’

Michael Green, for McDonough, said he had pleaded guilty at an early stage to robbery — though he disputed pulling Mr Carr and dragging him along the floor.

He said despite his previous convictions for burglary and dishonesty, he only had one crime on his record for violence.