A TEENAGER'S car was stolen after he was punched in the mouth and dragged from it at a set of traffic lights.

The 17-year-old victim, a student from Hartlip, near Sittingbourne, was driving towards the town on the A2 when the car jacking happened at the junction with Mierscourt Road, Rainham.

The victim had stopped his black Kia, registration GJ54 EZP, at the lights there, when he heard his driver's door open. He saw a man in his mid 20s who was covered in paint.

A police spokesman said: "Without any warning, the offender punched the driver in the mouth, before pulling him out of the car and throwing him onto the ground. The offender then got in the car and drove off."

The student received serious injuries to his mouth and needed treatment at the specialist Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, West Sussex.

The offender was short and stockily built. The incident happened on Tuesday, November 16, but has only just been made public by the police.

Anyone who knows the location of the car is asked to ring Medway Police on 01634 884252 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. All calls to Crimestoppers are free and are treated in the strictest confidence.