York purse robber jailed
It happened in July
Last updated 22nd Jan 2026
A robber, who stole an elderly woman’s purse, before being identified on CCTV by a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO), has been jailed.
Daniel James Bell, 32, of no fixed abode, snatched the purse of an 84-year-old woman, while riding his bicycle outside Marks and Spencer on The Pavement, York, on 21 July last year.
After grabbing her purse, the woman was knocked to the ground, causing her to hit her head. The entire incident was captured on CCTV. Bell then cycled away in the direction of The Stonebow.
During CCTV enquiries, one of North Yorkshire Police’s PCSOs immediately identified Bell, having dealt with him several times over the previous year.
The next day, officers located and arrested Bell, who was still wearing the same clothing he had worn during the robbery.
Bell was jailed for three years and four months at York Crown Court earlier this week (20 January) and ordered to pay a £228 victim surcharge after pleading guilty to robbery and to obstructing or resisting a constable in the execution of their duty, as well as for breaching a suspended sentence handed down to him last year and for a series of unrelated shoplifting offences committed in York and Harrogate.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, the victim explained that she had only just recovered from an operation when the robbery happened.
She described how the injuries Bell inflicted left her unable to drive, a loss that significantly affected her independence, and forced her to cancel a holiday she had been looking forward to taking with a friend.
She said: “The actions of the man who robbed me of my handbag have caused injury to my head and have re injured my left shoulder.
“Being robbed in the street is something you never think would happen to you. You hear about these things happening in big cities like London, but not really in York.
“I’m a bit more apprehensive about going out now, but I am a sensible person and I try to be careful.”
After sentencing, Detective Constable Ant Coleman, who led the investigation, said: “This was a callous, opportunistic crime in which the elderly female victim was deliberately targeted as an easy mark. The robbery occurred in the early afternoon on a busy shopping street.
“York is widely regarded as one of the safest cities in the UK, making incidents like this exceptionally rare.”
“The offender showed complete disregard for the impact of his actions, leaving the victim with a painful head injury after dragging her to the ground.
“I’m glad Bell is now behind bars where he belongs, and I hope the sentence handed down provides the victim with some reassurance and a sense of justice."