A man who temporarily blinded a woman when he robbed her of £10 and her mobile phone has been jailed for four years.

Duane Joseph attacked Australian Teresa Chase in the garden of her friend's home in Brighton, punching her repeatedly in the face.

Today's sentence at Lewes Crown Court comes just 48 hours after the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf, announced a "get tough" sentencing policy to combat the rising tide of mobile phone robberies.

He said mobile phone muggers faced minimum jail terms of 18 months and those using violence faced five years or more.

Sentencing Joseph, Judge Richard Brown said: "You viciously attacked and robbed a young woman. She was walking home alone late at night and it must have been a terrifying experience for her."

The court heard Joseph, 24, of no fixed address, was desperate to return home to Trinidad to spend Christmas with his mother and grandmother but had growing debts.

He carried out the "spur of the moment" attack on Miss Chase after becoming frustrated and angry about his lack of money.

His victim, a 24-year-old architect's assistant from Brisbane, now living in Cardiff, was returning to a friend's home at the junction of Ditchling Road and Prince's Crescent in the early hours of December 16 when she spotted Joseph in the front garden.

She asked him what he was doing and he lunged at her, hitting her repeatedly in the eye and head before pushing her to the ground and kicking her.

He lay on top of her and put his hand over her face and she thought he was going to rape her.

The terrified woman gave Joseph £10 from her purse and offered him her mobile phone.

Joseph, who admitted robbery, was later traced through calls made on the phone.

The court heard Miss Chase was traumatised by the attack and is now frightened to go out on her own.

She was unable to see out of the eye for several weeks and had to wear a patch, although she suffered no permanent damage.

Joseph, who came to England on an education visa when he was 19, faces deportation once his sentence is completed.

Pierce Power, defending, said Joseph was remorseful and wished to apologise profusely to his victim.