A 37-YEAR-OLD man punched and kicked an unsuspecting motorist as he was buying a lottery ticket one dark evening, as court has been told.

John Jackson admitted robbing the man who was older and smaller as he got out of his car to buy a ticket.

The unprovoked attack on the stranger happened at a Spar shop in Heathfield near Newton Abbot last December.

Exeter Crown Court heard that Jackson was 'drugged up to his eyeballs’ and tried to wrench the victim’s £600 mobile phone from him and also opened his car door.

CCTV footage from the scene was shown to the judge who saw Jackson pummel the victim for about 30 seconds.

The victim suffered cuts and nightmares that went on for three months.

He said he worked 12 hour days to afford a car and mobile phone and that he was now nervous about going out at night.

Defence barrister Herc Ashworth said Jackson was remorseful and admitted: ‘It’s all my fault, I was taking drugs.’

Judge James Patrick jailed Jackson, of Heath Hill. Heathfield, to 36 months in jail suspended for three years.

The judge said Jackson was ‘drugged up to his eyeballs’ after days of continued cocaine use.

He had pummelled the victim as he punched and kicked him on the ground.

The judge also ordered Jackson to pay the victim £3,000 in compensation, £1,000 in costs and to carry out 200 hours unpaid work.

Jackson, who has previous convictions for offences including robbery and wounding, was told by the judge that he was ‘a lucky man’ having avoided an immediate jail sentence.