A DRUG addict violently snatched a £2,500 gold necklace from the neck of a woman as she walked way home through Oldbury from a visit to a temple.

The woman, who suffered pain and discomfort, bravely tried to give chase but was unable to keep up with Neil Brittain, a court was told.

The 39-year-old robber was caught by a father and son in a passing car who saw what was going on.

They chased after Brittain and held him in a headlock until police officers arrived.

The woman had been walking along Dudley Road East, when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder as her necklace was grabbed.

Laura Culley, prosecuting, told Wolverhampton Crown Court, it was a wedding necklace, irreplaceable to the victim and it had not been recovered.

Brittain, a father-of-one, now of no fixed address, was jailed for 31 months after admitting robbery.

Simon Phlllips, defending, said Brittain’s life had spiralled out of control after the death of his father and he had turned to drugs.