James Clowry, 51, of Eden Court, Mason Avenue, Lillington, was so drunk when arrested that he could not sign his name or remember the crime.

He admitted attempted robbery and was jailed for two years when he appeared at Warwick Crown Court on July 25.

Prosecutor Tom Schofield described how Clowry had accosted 77-year-old mobility scooter driver Harry Buckingham in Emscote Road in May.

After trying the door of a parked car Clowry turned his attention to the elderly man, lunging for his wallet.

In the struggle that followed passers by came to help and alerted police.

In mitigation, Peter Freeman said Clowry’s behaviour had become bizarre in the days before the crime. He said Clowry had started drinking that morning. Following his arrest shortly after 3pm he was so drunk he could not sign his name and was still drunk at 9.30.

Clowry has convictions going back to 1973 for offences including blackmail, burglary and assault, but Mr Freeman said the defendant had not been in prison since 2001, and alcoholism had set in.

Jailing Clowry, Recorder Amjad Nawaz told him he had a “horrendous” record and had taken advantage of a “soft target” - an elderly disabled man. He said: “Drink, Mr Clowry, is no mitigation. It does not come anywhere towards explaining what you did.”