A man who robbed an elderly poppy seller and caused life-threatening injuries has been convicted for the offence.

Patrick O'Leary, 46, from Harrow, was found guilty of robbery and inflicting grievous bodily harm at Harrow Crown Court on Friday (December 15).

O'Leary struck outside the 70-year-old woman's home in Stanmore, north London, snatched her shoulder bag and caused a serious head injury when she tried to stop the robbery, according to Crown Prosecution Service.

As a result of her injuries, the victim spent six months in hospital recovering from the ordeal.

Ellis Williams for the CPS said: "This was a vicious robbery on an elderly lady that left her suffering serious injuries.

"Having heard from witnesses to the incident and being shown CCTV footage placing O'Leary and his vehicle in the vicinity of the attack, the jury rejected his claim that he was not responsible.

"I hope this conviction provides some closure to the victim and her family."

O'Leary will be sentenced at a later date.

Keep up to date with the latest news in west London via the free getwestlondon app.

You can set up your app to see all the latest news and events from your area, plus receive push notifications for breaking news.

Available to download from the App Store or Google Play for Android .