A rapist has been jailed for 15 years after he attacked a woman in a cemetery.

Tyrone Carr clubbed a 22-year-old woman with a glass bottle and raped her at Mount Noddy cemetery in East Grinstead on June 1.

Carr pleaded pleaded guilty to five charges including rape, assault and actual bodily harm in August.

The 27-year-old gardener, of High Street, East Grinstead, was sentenced to a total of 15 years, five of which are to be served on extended licence on Friday. The court heard how two passers-by saw what was happening and intervened.

The victim was treated for superficial physical injuries, and received support from specially trained detectives and medical experts.

Detective Chief Inspector Claire Pridgeon, of the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, said: “This was a violent attack by a stranger on a young woman walking home. She was severely distressed and remains so to this day.

“It was thanks to the couple passing by that she did not suffer an even more terrifying ordeal.”