A SOUTHAMPTON man who slapped a woman twice in the face and dragged her along the ground in a “prolonged and unpleasant” street robbery has been jailed.

Simon Craze-Barnes tried to grab his victim’s mobile phone after she began filming him during an argument.

When she refused to let go, the 50-year-old launched a physical attack on the woman, which included two slaps to her face.

As she fell to the floor, Craze-Barnes continued to pull at the phone, dragging the woman along the ground.

After freeing the phone from her hands, Craze-Barnes ran from the scene.

He was jailed for three years on Tuesday for robbery.

Southampton Crown Court heard how the incident took place near Craze-Barnes’ home in St Martin’s Close, Lordshill, in March last year.

Prosecutor Tim Moores said how the victim was in a car with her husband when they were forced to make an emergency stop when a white Alsatian ran across the front of the vehicle.

Mr Moores said the dog’s owner and the victim’s partner began arguing over who was at fault, and so she reached for the phone and began to film the incident.

Craze-Barnes later walked away, while the victim, her partner and their children, got out of the car and began walking towards the house they were visiting.

Mr Moores said: “At this point, Craze-Barnes came back towards the woman and jumped over a small fence.

“He grabbed at her mobile phone which she was holding in her hand and recording with.

“She held on to the phone as he grabbed at it. He then slapped her twice to the left side of her face.

“She fell to the ground but kept hold of the phone and he dragged her along the ground while trying to force it from her grip.”

Mr Moores said Craze-Barnes eventually removed the phone from her hand before leaving the area.

He said the victim suffered bruising to her face in the incident, while the phone was never recovered.

In mitigation, Khalid Missouri said though Craze-Barnes had admitted robbery, the 50-year-old did not intend to take the phone for financial gain.

Mr Missouri admitted his client had a long criminal history, including violence and dishonesty, and had previously been a cocaine user, which had led to long-term mental health issues.

But he said Craze-Barnes had begun taking medication for anxiety and depression since the incident and, as a result, had managed to stay out of trouble with the police.

Mr Missouri added that his client was “genuinely remorseful”.

Jailing Craze-Barnes for three years, Judge Nicholas Rowland said: “This was an extremely unpleasant incident for this lady.

“The shortest possible sentence I can impose is one of three years.”