Woman sentenced after attempted knife point robbery of blind man in Middlesbrough

A woman has been sentenced to five years and two months in prison for an attempted knife point robbery of a blind man in Middlesbrough.

Kirsty Lauro, 46, attempted to rob the vulnerable man, who was walking with a white cane, just minutes after she had slashed a woman’s finger during another attempted robbery in Middlesbrough.

She appeared at Teesside Crown Court on Thursday 15 February, where the court heard that she had been trying to get money for drugs and Lauro admitted the two attempted robberies and possessing a knife.

She had approached the woman on Marton Road in Middlesbrough at around 9.30pm on 13 August 2023, asking her for £1.  When she refused Lauro pulled out a kitchen knife with a 5-inch blade, and the woman’s finger was cut during a struggle between the two.  As the woman escaped, Lauro shouted at the woman telling her to leave her handbag or she would “slash her to pieces”.

Ten minutes later, a man with a severe visual impairment was walking along the road using a white cane and was approached by Lauro.  Despite his obvious disability, Lauro threatened him to hand over his possessions.  When the man told her that he did not have anything she made an offensive remark about his disability.

The judge told Lauro that her actions were callous and she had targeted an extremely vulnerable man.

PC Dylan Keane, who investigated said: “Lauro showed no concern around the fact that her victim was vulnerable and disabled.  Hopefully this sentence can offer some solace to her victims.”