A woman who carried out a ‘sickening and brutal’ attack on a pensioner has been jailed for more than seven years.

Samantha McDonnell broke into supported accommodation on Hasbury Road, Bartley Green on 4 March this year. She let herself into a pensioner’s flat and demanded money before attacking him, hitting him to the floor.

McDonnell even unplugged her victim’s phone to stop him calling for help.

Samantha McDonnell has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years.

The 87-year-old was afterwards admitted to hospital with severe injuries.

The pensioner was left with a broken nose and a bleed on the brain. While he has since been released from hospital, his life has sadly been changed forever and he has had to move to a new home due to not feeling safe.

All in all, McDonnell actually stole from three people at the property in Hasbury Court; two pensioners and a support worker.

The pensioner’s family wanted us to release this image of his injuries, to show how severe McDonnell’s attack wasWe arrested her at her flat in Bartley Green the following day (5 March). The stolen property was found in her flat, as well as the clothing she was wearing at the time of the offences.

McDonnell, aged 37, and from Birmingham admitted trying to use the stolen bank card, but was adamant that she would not be linked to the crimes by DNA… however that is exactly what happened.

She was also filmed near the offence location by one of the support workers shortly after the incidents took place, and later picked out on an ID parade by three different people. All of this coupled with the stolen property and clothing in her flat meant the case was a slam dunk.

The evidence against her was so great that in the end she had no choice but to plead guilty.

At Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday (28 April) she was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for theft, robbery and burglary. She will have to serve at least two thirds of it before she can be considered for release.

While McDonnell is a drug addict and her addiction likely drove her to commit the crimes she did, addiction can be no excuse for violence against a vulnerable, elderly person.

Our thoughts remain with the man she attacked as he continues to recover from the horrible ordeal that was inflicted on him.