A TEENAGE girl who snatched a 73-year-old woman's handbag, was caught by men who had just left a mosque.

The public spirited citizens had been alerted by another man who saw the teenager snatch the bag.

The men used their car to block an alleyway the girl was using to escape and detained her until the police arrived.

At Bolton Crown Court, the 13-year-old was given a chance by Judge William Morris after she pleaded guilty to robbery.

He decided to defer sentence on the girl, who had four previous convictions, for two months.

He told her that he did not want to send her to custody because of her age but he said he would have to consider it if she did not co-operate.

Judge Morris told her that she would have to co-operate with her social worker and other agencies and that she would have to attend school regularly.

The court heard that 73-year-old Joyce Stanworth had collected her pension and was walking along Church Road, Smithills, when the girl ran up and snatched her bag.

The pensioner was pushed to the ground and the girl ran off but was seen by a man nearby.

He alerted other men coming out of a nearby mosque who used their car to block her escape route.

Mrs Stanworth was left in a distressed state suffering from shock. An ambulance was called but she declined hospital treatment because she did not want to upset her husband.

The court was told that the girl had many difficulties in her life but had, in the past, responded well to proper supervision. The case was adjourned until May 10 when Judge Morris will review the girl's progress before passing sentence.