ROBBERY is a terrible crime but when it is carried out on a severely disabled man it is all the more sickening.

Many of our readers were rightly shocked when we reported how deaf and partially sighted George Heard was mugged in broad daylight for his benefit money in Pill in April.

Perhaps even more sinister about this case is that the two men had watched Mr Heard withdraw his money from the Post Office and it was then they decided to "do him over".

He was punched in the face and brought to the floor and as he lay there in agony one of then searched him for the cash.

Our front page was used on collection buckets and money was raised for Mr Heard in communities throughout Newport as people voiced their disgust.

Now two people are behind bars for this cowardly attack.

Twenty-year-old Billy Hiscox and Paul Maloney, 22, will each serve three years for the robbery.

Many will say three years is not enough and will point out that these men will be out in probably half of that sentence.

What we are pleased about is how swift these men have been brought through the courts and taken off our streets before any similar acts are carried out.

Hiscox will also serve an extra three years for two other robberies.

So maybe those who think the sentence is too short may be right particularly as one of them has a history of this sort of offending.

These two men have no place in our society.

Their actions are probably best summed up by Mr Heard’s elderly mother, Lilian, who says: "They’re cowards and I’m glad they are off the streets."