A robber who hid in an alleyway before stealing a woman's handbag has been jailed.

Jaroslav Gabor, 23, lay in wait off Gravesend High Street as the woman walked past him during the evening of February 17 this year.

He then cycled up to her from behind and snatched her handbag. The victim, aged in her 60s, fell to the ground and he sped away on his bicycle. Although he had concealed his face with a balaclava, he committed the offence in full view of a CCTV camera.

Following the robbery, Gabor used one of the victim’s bank cards in a nearby shop to buy alcohol and cigarettes.

Gabor, of Silver Road, Gravesend, was jailed for three years and nine months when he appeared before Woolwich Crown Court on Monday after he admitted robbery and fraud.

The incident was caught on CCTV and, as part of the investigation, the description of the bike was circulated to local officers. This led a patrol locating it the following day on the River Thames embankment.

Police soon identified Gabor as being the offender. He was arrested two days after the offence, still in possession of the victim’s mobile phone.

DC Emma Laimbeer from the Chief Constable's Crime Squad said: "Gabor targeted a person he believed to be vulnerable and then violently stole her handbag, knocking the victim over in the process.

"He left the scene with no concern for his victim who suffered hip and leg injuries. The impact of this callous crime will remain with her for a considerable time and it is only right that Gabor has been jailed."