A man who stole cash at knifepoint from two teenage German students has been sent to prison.

Clive Wilkinson, 32, of Shanklin Close, Eastbourne, admitted two charges of theft from the students, who were 15 and 16.

Judge Guy Anthony jailed him for three-and-a-half years.

Guy Russell, prosecuting, told the court Wilkinson had visited a friend in Eastbourne who was putting the two students up.

He said on the night of July 21 Wilkinson was drunk and appeared to be "upset and stressed".

He asked his friend for money. She refused but offered to let him stay at her house for the night.

The court heard how Wilkinson left but later returned, went upstairs to the room where the Germans were staying and asked them for £5.

One of them gave him £10, hoping he would leave, but he later returned with a large kitchen knife and switched on the light.

He demanded the rest of their money and the two terrified students handed over their wallets. Wilkinson took German and English money totalling £321.

He threw the wallets back at the pair, saying he would kill them if they said anything about the incident.

But someone else in the house told the police and Wilkinson was arrested.

He made a full confession to the police and told them he had drunk six bottles of beer and nine pints of lager before the attack.

Frank Winslett, defending, handed a letter to the judge from Wilkinson's mother, who was in court.

He said: "This defendant accepts this was a terrifying and frightening experience for these two young visitors."

He said Wilkinson, who has a wife and three children, had been to anger management courses and thought he had a grip on his drinking habit.