A DRUG addict who threw a pensioner down a flight of stairs and locked her in a cellar before ransacking her home faces life imprisonment.

Daine Christie, 33, of St Anns Road, Tottenham, forced his way into the home of Iolanda Pisano as she returned from church on December 6 last year.

He grabbed the terrified 73-year old of Finsbury Park around the neck and pulled her rings from her fingers before dragging her through the house and pushing her down a flight of stairs.

She was locked in the cellar for 90 minutes as Christie searched the rest of the house for cash and valuables before fleeing. Mrs Pisano, who broke her ankle during the attack, managed to raise the alarm by banging a spade against the cellar wall and calling for help.

She spent two weeks recovering in hospital.

Det Sgt Tim Wilkinson, who led the investigation, said: "This was a vicious crime committed against a vulnerable and frail member of the community in her own home.

"It has had a dramatic impact on her life and I am shocked by the violence used on an elderly woman. Society deserves to be rid of him for a while. The residents of Islington and Haringey should be relieved."

Jobless Christie, whose convictions date back to 1988 for offences including robbery and aggravated burgalry, was found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm by a jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Thursday. He denied the charge.

Christie was caught by police after his blood was found on Mrs Pisano's clothes.

He denied all knowledge of the incident, however, he later admitted the break-in but denied injuring the pensioner.

Christie told the court he wanted her money so he could buy crack cocaine, and believed the door to the cellar was just a cupboard where he wanted to shut her away so he could ransack the house in peace.

He will be sentenced on June 6 for the preparation of psychiatric reports.

May 1, 2003 10:30