Guildford Crown Court was told Florin Danut-Baloiu, 25, of London Road, Blackwater, Camberley, admitted following a 21-year-old woman in his car and waiting for her near a cash machine on Lysons Avenue in Ash Vale.

He approached the woman, pushed her to the ground and attempted to pull her bag from her shoulders. Passers-by intervened and prevented-Baloiu from stealing the victim’s handbag. She suffered minor injuries.t.

Baloiu fled the scene but was arrested and charged after Guildford officers investigated.

Map showing the location of Tesco Express in Lysons Avenue – Google Maps

PC Joanna Merton said: “The sentence given to Danut-Baloiu reflects the severity of the attack and is a result of the hard work of the Guildford officer.

“We would also like to thank the members of the public for their bravery in intervening and preventing the victim from suffering more serious injuries. They also provided extremely useful information which helped us locate and arrest the suspect as quickly as we did.”