A Judge has told man who attacked a pensioner on her way home from bingo that he 'should have gone to Specsavers' - after he paid a backhanded compliment to the woman by saying he thought she was 36-years-old and not in her 80s.

Darren White (19) pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two counts of attempted robbery on April 4th of last year and told gardai he had been very drunk at the time.

Mary Murphy (86) refused to let go of her handbag and began screaming when she was dragged behind a parked car on Quarry Road in Cabra by Mr. White, who eventually let go of the bag and ran away.

Maurice Coffey BL, prosecuting, said Ms. Murphy "bravely withstood the efforts of the accused" and refused to let go of her bag. The court heard that her arm was sore after the incident and she had bruises on her hip.

The court heard that minutes earlier, he had tried unsuccessfully to rob a man on the same road.

Noel Brearty (68) told gardaí he was walking along when a young man pulled out a knife and said, "Gimme the money". Mr. Brearty turned around and told him to "F?!k off", causing White to run away.

Judge Des Hogan adjourned sentencing to assess whether Mr. White is suitable for a non-custodial sentence in the form of the restorative justice programme.

Seamus Clarke BL, defending, said his client has not come to garda attention since these incidents and has developed a 'great rapport' with his probation officer.

The judge refused to alter his bail conditions, which include him signing on daily at a garda station and keeping a 9pm curfew. He is due to be sentenced on May 2nd.