30446-44A WOMAN who fought off a drug addict mugger wants to see him jailed. Recruitment consultant Stephanie Toon, 21, still bears the scars from being dragged along the street by Karl Telfer, 20.

She hung on her bag when he tried to steal it on the morning of March 22 as she walked in Deacon Street.

Telfer had earlier tried and failed to cash a cheque from a chequebook he had stolen that morning after it arrived for a neighbour at the common entrance to the home they shared.

At Swindon Crown Court, Telfer, of Croft Road, admitted theft, deception and attempted robbery, and sentence was adjourned to see whether he was suitable for a drug treatment and testing order.

But Ms Toon said: "I don't think he should be let back out, for the main reason that if he is let back out he could just mug somebody else because he still wants drugs.

"He's still going to want that money. At least if he's in prison, he won't be on drugs. He'll come off them."

Ms Toon, who lives in Swindon, doesn't think of herself as brave, but recalls being extremely angry.

It was about 9.50am when Telfer struck.

Ms Toon had been to a bank, and was walking back to her work at Labour Ready in Commercial Road.

She was in Deacon Street when she realised something was wrong.

She said: "I had my handbag in my left hand.

"I felt a tug on my bag. I didn't realise what it was. I thought I had caught it on something."

When Ms Toon turned and saw Telfer trying to steal her bag, she shouted at him to go away, but he retorted by demanding that she let go of her bag.

She said: "We had a major struggle. He pulled me to the ground and dragged me along.

"I cut my knee and my hands and I still have the scars."

Finally, Ms Toon began shouting for help, and that was when other people noticed what was happening.

A passing motorist and then a man walking nearby shouted at Telfer and he ran away, empty-handed.

Ms Toon said that Telfer ran into an alleyway, where other passers-by caught him.

When Telfer appeared in court earlier this week, his lawyer, Paul Orton, said the drug addict had previous convictions for minor assault, shoplifting, motoring offences and drug offences.

Mr Orton said that his client was sorry for what he had done. Judge John McNaught warned Telfer that he faced up to 24 months in custody, but added that he did not have a bad record.

The judge called for reports into whether he was suitable for a drug treatment and testing order.

Telfer is in custody, awaiting his fate.

But a drug treatment and testing order would not be enough for Ms Toon, who is still not sleeping properly and suffers pain in her knee.

She said: "He should be jailed."

Barrie Hudson