A man who robbed his mum of £18 on her doorstep, knocking her to the ground, has been jailed.

Malcolm Ring, 30, of Albany Road, Chatham, pleaded guilty to robbery at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday and was sentenced to two years and three months in prison.

The court heard that Ring had approached his mum in the Post Office in Gillingham High Street, on May 13, asking her for money and tobacco.

He was given £10, but a few hours later approached her again in the town centre asking for £20.

The woman told her son that she didn’t have any more money to give him and began walking towards home. As she walked she noticed he was following her and when she climbed the stairs to her flat, Ring was standing in the doorway.

He again asked her for £20 and when she said she didn’t have it, he grabbed a lanyard around her neck and pulled her towards him in an effort to get the key to her front door.

He said 'Give me the money, give me the money', then grabbed his mum by the arm, causing her to fall, before reaching into her handbag and stealing £18 in cash. He left her on the floor before running off.

The victim was left with a mark on her neck and aggravated a previous injury to her leg during the robbery.

Investigating officer, DC Constable Sanj Tanday of Kent Police, said: ‘The lengths that Ring went to in order to steal a small amount of cash from his own mother are quite unbelievable.

"If committing robbery wasn’t bad enough, pulling your own mum to the floor and leaving her with injuries for a small of amount of cash is the lowest of the low. Hopefully his time in prison will give him chance to think about his actions."