A young mother had her handbag stolen by two thieves in front of crowds of people who ignored her cries for help.

Jody Martin, 22, from Brighton, said she felt invisible when the two men barged into her and grabbed her handbag without anyone coming to her rescue.

She said: "I hope the people who ignored me feel guilty. I was hysterical and they just turned the other way."

Miss Martin, who has a three-year-old son Joseph, was walking home from Creation nightclub in West Street when she was attacked in the early hours of Saturday morning.

She was walking past the Royal Pavilion and into the Old Steine, Brighton, when two young men barged into her, one of them snatching her bag.

As they fled, Miss Martin, who is a student at City College Brighton and Hove, said: "There were lots of people around because all the clubs turned out at the same time. I was screaming for help but they just looked away and ignored me.

"They seemed to deliberately avoid eye contact. I'm a young and vulnerable woman. I was shaking and crying but nobody took any notice."

Miss Martin, who says she is aware of the possible dangers when walking alone at night, said: "Even though it's a big city and it can be dangerous, I have always felt safe - but not anymore."

Miss Martin walked up London Road where some people leaving the Brighton Gloucester nightclub offered to help and phoned the police.

She said: "They hadn't seen it happen but they came to help."

The thieves escaped with Miss Martin's handbag, which contained money, a mobile phone, her passport and a disposable camera with photos of her son.

She said the incident has left her paranoid and scared of being out in the dark.

She said: "I'm deeply, deeply shocked."

Police interviewed Miss Martin on Saturday night and will be looking at CCTV footage in the hope of identifying the men.

They were both aged about 18. One of them had a shaven head.

Any witnesses should call police on 0845 6070999.