A MAN who sprayed a corrosive fluid in the face of his victim as he was trying to rob him has been jailed.

Matthew Wojcik was convicted of attempting to commit a robbery and applying a corrosive fluid with intent to cause grievous bodily harm following an incident in Bexhill earlier this year.

On the morning of Sunday, March 18, Wojcik saw his victim - a man known to him - at a cashpoint in Devonshire Road, Bexhill. As the victim walked away, Wojcik followed.

The victim stopped in nearby Mitten Road when Wojcik called out his name, and the pair engaged in a brief conversation.

However, moments later, Wojcik demanded the victim hand over cash and sprayed him in the face with a corrosive fluid.

The victim ran away but suffered facial injuries as a result of the incident.

Wojcik, 19, unemployed, of no fixed address, was sentenced to three years imprisonment for attempting to commit a robbery, and five years and six months for applying a corrosive fluid with intent. The sentences will run concurrently.

Detective Constable David Brown said: “This was a serious but isolated incident for the area, and the defendant and the victim in this case were known to each other. Local residents do not have to be concerned about a wider threat to the community.”