A cash machine robber who was in a tug of war over bank notes as he mugged a lady may escape jail.

Lee Fitzgibbon and his victim were pulling so hard that a £20 note was ripped in two during the incident on Regent Street in broad daylight.

And the following day the 39-year-old heroin addict tried the same scam on a great grandmother as she made a withdrawal outside Tesco on Ocotal Way.

But after hearing he was trying to get off drugs and back into work a judge gave him four months to prove he could go straight.

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, said the first incident took place outside Barclays Bank at about 11am on Friday May 11.

As the victim was using the hole in the wall there was no one near her, but when she went to take the £50 she had withdrawn she was aware of a man yelling at her.

The woman said he repeatedly screamed 'That's my money!' and had an angry look on his face and his teeth clenched as he went to snatch the cash.

She said 'It was like a tug of war action with enough force to pull me backwards and forwards. His other hand was in a fist, I thought he was going to hit me.

'At the time my stomach was churning and I was shaking. As soon as he got the money off me he headed off towards Pound Land very quickly.'

Miss Hingston said "He took from her a £20 and a £10 note and, perhaps indicative of the tug of war between them, one £20 note was torn in half, or at least damaged."

The following day she said a woman was shopping at Tesco with her daughter, granddaughter and two young great grandchildren.

At the cash machine she told a man behind to move back, as he was too close, but as she took out £100 he stepped forward saying 'That's my money!' and grabbing at it.

She shouted 'Get off! You're not taking it! It's mine!' as his hand touched hers and managed to fend him off with the help of one of her relatives.

He ran into the shop but was caught by security staff, was identified by CCTV at both incidents and later arrested where he admitted what he had done.

On the Friday he said he had just come out of a drug clinic having sorted out a prescription for methadone and spent the money on food.

He said the following day he said he was collecting the methadone and saw the 'elderly lady' at the cash machine as he was queuing to check his balance.

Fitzgibbon, of Limes Avenue, Pinehurst, pleaded guilty to robbery and attempted theft.

The court heard he had four children and used to work for Honda before being signed off with a back injury and currently lives in a shared house with eight other men

Jackie Reynolds, a probation officer, said he was signed off work but planned to start a job with his father in two weeks, though was not allowed back at the family home.

Tony Bignall, defending, said his client insisted that he had not targeted older women and insisted if they were burly men he would have done the same thing.

Recorder Richard Shepherd deferred passing sentence to Friday November 23 so he can prove it was '24 hours of madness'.