A man who kicked a woman three times in the head and left her with a broken nose has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.

James Nicholson, 27, pounced on his victim, whom he knew, while she was walking to Shoreham railway station with a friend.

He approached the pair in Station Road and began to argue with them, ordering the friend to walk away before grabbing his victim by the hair and pushing her down onto a grass bank.

She attempted to get back up but Nicholson repeatedly pushed her down before punching her in the face.

Nicholson then walked his victim to the station but after she refused to get on a train he attacked her again, pushing her back down onto the bank and kicking her three times in the head.

The woman’s friend had meanwhile alerted a local resident who contacted the police.

Nicholson – formerly of Bentley’s Meadow, Seal – was arrested shortly after the attack, which happened on Friday, January 2.

He was jailed at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday, May 22 having previously been found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Graham Hunt said: "James Nicholson has a history of violence towards women so I am pleased the courts have seen fit to hand him a lengthy custodial sentence.

"Having seen the agitated state he was in, the officer who arrested Nicholson had immediate concerns for the welfare of his victim. She was located at a friend’s house a short time later and had suffered cuts and bruises to her face, as well as a suspected broken nose.

"Nicholson’s behaviour is completely unacceptable and I hope this sends a clear message that such actions will not be tolerated."