Richard Gatiss, 25, was handed the jail term earlier today at Newcastle Crown Court.
Alan was mugged by Gatiss as he was putting his bins out for collection, outside his home in Gateshead. The attack left Alan with a broken collarbone and too frightened to return to his home.
A charity campaign, started by Katie Cutler, 21, following the attack raised over £300,000 for Alan. He said afterwards he hoped to use the money to move house.because of his vulnerability. It was on any view a despicable offence.”
Gatiss, a drug addict who mugged Alan for money to pay for a legal high, was caught after his DNA was found on the pocket of Alan’s jacket.
“He said he wanted money to buy legal highs to which he had become addicted, then breaking down, he was distressed at what he had done,” prosecutor Nick Dry added.
Following the sentencing, Alan praised the courts for the length of jail time and said he hoped Gattis would “do some thinking” while behind bars.
He added: “I'm pleased he's been sentenced and I think the sentence of four years is just about the right length. I hope while he's in prison he'll do some thinking and when he comes out he'll do something useful.
“Maybe he might decide to help people, which I think would be a good idea for him. It's sad that he was brought to the stage of doing something like this - not necessarily just me, it could have been anybody and they might not have got over the incident.”