A man has pleaded guilty to assaulting disabled pensioner Alan Barnes, for whom more than £300,000 was subsequently raised in donations.
The 67-year-old’s collarbone was broken when he was knocked to the ground outside his Gateshead home. An online appeal on his behalf raised £330,135.
From BBC News
Richard Gatiss, 25, from Gateshead, pleaded guilty to assault with intent to rob at Newcastle Crown Court.
The court heard Gatiss used legal highs and had wanted money for drugs.
He appeared via videolink from prison. He will be sentenced at a later date and Judge Paul Sloan QC, the Recorder of Newcastle, warned Gatiss jail was likely.
Details from a previous hearing at Gateshead Magistrates’ Court were revealed when prosecutor Keith Laidlaw said: “Legal highs played their part in this.
“There is also possession of cannabis on his record and there is a drugs background.”
