A WOMAN fought off a mugger who pounced as she crossed the road outside Dunfermline police station in broad daylight.

Twice Kevin Lusk tried to pull the woman’s bag from her and twice she held on to it.

He later claimed he carried out the crime so he could be arrested and receive help for his drug addiction.

Lusk, 38, of Burns Street, High Valleyfield, appeared for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court for a string of previously admitted offences committed last year.

On December 14 at Holyrood Place, Dunfermline, he attempted to rob a woman by repeatedly attempting to pull her bag from her.

On November 1 at Costcutters, Blackhall Square, Kelty, he used a debit card belonging to someone else to obtain goods worth £15.52 by fraud.

On November 21 at Kelty Community Centre he stole a handbag and contents.

On the same day at Costcutters, Blackhall Square, he used a stolen debit card to obtain goods worth £66.86.

Depute fiscal Laura McManus said the Dunfermline incident occurred at 12.45pm.

The woman was crossing the road outside the police station when Lusk approached her and grabbed her bag.

He tried to take it from her but the woman pulled it back. He made a second attempt to pull the back from her but the woman held on to it.

The woman went to report the incident at the police station and was “visibly upset” added the depute.

Defence solicitor Alexander Flett said his client had been released from the police station shortly before the incident.

“He didn’t want released as he wanted assistance for his drug problem," he explained. "As a result, he wanted to do something to get himself arrested. It’s not a matter that was thought through.”

Sheriff Alastair Brown said: “He would have known that grabbing somebody’s handbag in the street is going to cause them serious trauma.”

He imposed a community payback order with 60 hours of unpaid work and 12 months of supervision.