A thief who threatened to slit a man's throat during an attempted robbery has been jailed for a total of 40 months.

Harry Dial had admitted attempting to rob Justin Winsley in Grosvenor Road, Tunbridge Wells, on January 18.

He only stopped the attack when a passer-by came to the victim's aid. He fled empty handed but then went on to commit further offences.

At 8.20am, he threatened to assault staff at a Coop store before stealing a bottle of wine.

He admitted having a kitchen knife in Liptraps Lane later that day, after being seen by a member of staff with the weapon.

Dial was arrested shortly after at a nearby property and a knife was found.

Dial, of no fixed address, denied threatening Mr Winsley with a knife and the charge was left on the court file.

He pleaded guilty to counts of attempted robbery, theft and possession of a bladed article in a public place.

Prosecutor Martin Yale had told Maidstone Crown Court that Mr Winsley felt something cold against his neck during the attempted robbery and Dial claimed it was a piece of broken glass and not a knife.

Detective Constable Mark Simcox of west Kent CID said: "Dial subjected his intended robbery victim to a truly terrifying ordeal, during a series of crimes carried out over a very short period of time. Thankfully, we were able to promptly identify and arrest him, ensuring he could pose no further threat to people in the local community.

"Our officers are continuing to take robust and proactive action to target anyone who thinks that carrying a knife for whatever reason is acceptable. Kent Police remains committed to tackling knife crime culture across the whole county and we have a number of measures in place to detect, stop and search those who we believe may be carrying weapons."

Read more: All the latest news from Tunbridge Wells