A thug whose victim bravely fought back after he mugged her outside a shop has been jailed for almost three years.

John Johnson cycled up to victim Lisa Galvin outside Dunelm Mill on Sittingbourne Retail Park and grabbed at her handbag.

They both tumbled to the ground as the mother hit out at the 46-year-old drug addict about five times while calling out to other shoppers to phone the police.

Johnson was so shocked by Miss Galvin’s courage that he ended up “sobbing and whimpering” and begging her to stop hitting him.

He still managed to push her against a parked car, injuring her shoulder, and pedalled off with her purse containing £200.

But Maidstone Crown Court heard he was stopped in his tracks by a witness and a store security guard.

As well as injuring her shoulder, Miss Galvin, 38, had a broken foot, multiple cuts and bruises.

Johnson, of Meads Avenue, Quinton, was on bail at the time at the time of the robbery on September 24 for breaking into his lodger’s room, assaulting him and robbing him of £80 cash just nine days earlier.

He struck Colin Fish on the back of his head with a heavy object, leaving him with a deep cut almost down to the bone.

He then tried to put a rope around his neck and threatened: “I’ll kill you and I don’t care about going down for it.”

Johnson admitted two charges of robbery, burglary, assault causing actual bodily harm and driving offences.

Jailing him for two years and eight months, Judge Martin Joy said his criminal behaviour had escalated.

“The true mitigation is that you have pleaded guilty and expressed some remorse and regret,” he said.

“But the fact is the offences were committed within three months of when you were last before a court and you are a prolific offender.”

Miss Galvin said in a victim impact statement: “I have been sat thinking about the whole thing and I feel sick at the thought of it all.

“I am shocked that something like this can happen in broad daylight in a busy shopping centre with lots of people around.”

The court heard unemployed Johnson was smoking up to £40 worth of heroin a day and was desperate for another hit.