A BOY who planned to hit a pensioner over the head with a meat tenderising hammer in a robbery has escaped a jail term.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and his older accomplice went to the pensioner's house after hatching the plan.

But after hearing the teenager from Wootton Bassett had been in care since he was six Recorder David Lane QC decided to put him on probation.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting, said the youngster and Owen Critchley, 18, had discussed a scheme to get money from the woman who is in her late 70s or early 80s.

"They would make as if to say they were doing a survey,' he said.

"When the woman came to answer the door they would hit her on the head with a meat tenderising hammer."

He said on Friday, April 16 last year they went to the pensioner's home on Green Lane, Trowbridge, and did indeed conduct a mock survey.

The younger boy then asked if he could use the toilet and did so before they left without using the hammer.

The 16-year-old told the police that though they had talked about it he never would have done it and all thought of using the hammer left him when he entered the house.

Critchley was released on bail and six months later, on Saturday, November 11, last year he robbed Giovanni Brandini of a cash bag and contents.

Mr Meeke said the 67-year-old laundrette boss also ran a hotel in Westbury where the teenager had been housed by social services.

On the Saturday afternoon he was leaving the laundrette after emptying the coins from the machines when the youth snatched the bag which contained about £120.

"Mr Brandini said: He was strong, I lost my balance, I fell against a wall then felt pain of angina,'" Mr Meeke said.

He said as well as suffering from angina the pensioner had also been through a heart bypass.

Both teenagers admitted conspiracy to rob and Critchley, of Wyke Road, Trowbridge, admitted robbery.

David Chidgey, defending Critchley, said the plan to carry out the hammer attack came out when his client was being questioned about other things.

He said that what teenagers say when they plan and what they actually do are completely different things.

On the day of the incident he said the woman had no idea anything was wrong and she did not contact the police.

He said Critchley had effectively been abandoned by his family when he was 15 and had been in care ever since, but only started getting in trouble last year.

Alex Daymond, defending the other boy, said the conspiracy to rob was an unusual case as it was never followed through.

He said his client was a suggestible and vulnerable youngster who had been in care for many years, going from foster home to foster home since he was six.

The judge put Critchley on an 18-month community order and the younger boy on a one-year probation order.

He said the older boy, who had been in custody on remand for seven months, would be under the probation service's supervision, attend a Think First programme and live where directed by his probation officer.