TWO 15-year-old boys who killed a frail widow during a street robbery in Greenford are facing years behind bars.
The teenager muggers, who have not been named because of their age, knocked down partially-sighted grandmother Paula Castle, 85, during the attack on November 19 last year.
She fell to the pavement in an alleyway near her home in Greenford, and suffered a head injury which proved fatal the following day - but not before she had been able to describe the attack to police.
The attackers, who are both from Southall, were charged with murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter at the Old Bailey today (Wednesday April 10). They admitted robbing Mrs Castle and a separate robbery of Rose Mohamed, 75, the following day, in which a handbag and £120 in cash were taken.
The pair used Mrs Castle's stolen bank card to buy fast food and mobile phone top-ups.
The judge, Mr Justice Fulford, adjourned sentence until May 9 to allow reports to be prepared. He will then decide whether the court order that currently protects the killers' identities can be lifted.
Prosecutor Andrew Edis QC said: "This is a very grave case." But he said it had been decided to accept pleas to the lesser charge of manslaughter because it was unlikely it could be shown the pair intended to cause really serious harm.
He told the judge: "This is a case, it would appear, whereby these two have jointly used force against an 85-year-old woman who was entirely defenceless, placing her therefore at risk of serious injury. But rather than intending to cause serious injury they simply didn't care what happened to her. In the circumstances, we have taken the view that it is appropriate to accept these pleas."
Mrs Castle's sister, Jennifer McCann, sat in the well of the court as the two teens admitted the killing.
