A MAN kicked his victim in the face to stop her from screaming during a horrific kidnap ordeal.

Jeremy Blake Simmons grabbed a 19-year-old woman from behind before dragging her into Leigh Road Park in Eastleigh, a court heard.

The 20-year-old told his victim - who thought she was going to be raped - he had a gun because he “wanted to scare her”.

During a trial at Southampton Crown Court this week, prosecution barrister, Rob Bryan read out extracts from Simmons’ police interview.

The court heard how Simmons told officers he had been walking around Eastleigh town centre looking for someone to rob and steal their money.

He claimed: “I told her I was going to rob her.”

“I said to her I have got a gun.”

However, he told the officers interviewing him that he was lying about having a firearm and that he “wanted to scare her”.

He claimed that he patted her down and searched her pockets and how she started crying when he said “I am going to leave you with nothing”.

Simmons even told police his victim “didn’t put up a fight” and that he ordered her to “shut up”.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service, a CCTV operator alerted police to the incident which happened during the early hours of August 4 last year.

Simmons said he “did not manage to take anything” because the police arrived and arrested him at the scene.

Of no fixed address, he previously pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing actual bodily harm, one count of threats to kill and one count of kidnap.

Following a three-day trial at Southampton Crown Court, Simmons, was found guilty of kidnap with intent to commit a sexual offence.

He also pleaded guilty to a separate incident of robbery, in East Park, Southampton in the early hours of Saturday 1 August 2020.

He has been remanded into custody and is due to be sentenced on April 26.