A man who throttled his 83-year-old grandmother after punching her to the floor has been jailed for six years

Colin Fairhall was told by a judge that his victim was lucky to be alive after the attack.

Lewes Crown Court heard yesterday the assault on Gladys Fairhall only stopped when the pensioner feigned unconsciousness.

The defendant then left her lying on the floor and fled.

Fairhall, 35, of Lewes Road, Brighton, who has previous convictions, admitted charges of causing grievous bodily harm and false imprisonment.

Judge Anthony Niblett described the attack as violent and utterly callous.

He said: "It is extremely fortunate that she did not die as the result of the attack.

"Even more so as you left her on the floor of her flat. Unknown to you, mercifully, she had a spare key and was able to free herself and raise the alarm.

"You present a considerable danger to members of the public and, in particular, to your own family."

The court heard Fairhall pulled the telephone out of its socket, took his grandmother's keys, locked the front door behind him and left her collapsed on the floor.

James Ross, prosecuting, said he had gone to her home in Hove on December 9 last year and the visit had been amicable. She even gave him some money before he left.

But the court heard he returned shortly afterwards and appeared to be acting strangely before launching the unprovoked attack.

Mr Ross said: "With one firm punch he hit his grandmother in the face, she fell to the ground. He knelt down, put both his hands around her neck and started to squeeze.

"She was struggling, he put his knee on her shoulder with both his hands still squeezing her throat. She started struggling and then made the decision to go limp in the hope he would then stop."

The judge, who had considered two psychiatric reports before jailing Fairhall, said he accepted the defendant had shown genuine remorse.