A heavily pregnant Bristol woman who punched, kicked and robbed a passerby in broad daylight has been jailed for more than a year.

Jemma Jane Fox, of no fixed abode, was just four weeks away from giving birth when she and another woman robbed 33-year-old Safia Ahmed in Bristol city centre earlier this year.

Ms Ahmed had been walking on the pavement towards Stokes Croft and was passing under the 5102 building when she was accused of looking at Fox's pregnant bump, Bristol Crown Court heard yesterday.

Prosecuting, Julian Howells told how Ms Ahmed held up her hands indicating she meant no trouble. But she was then pushed to the ground and kicked and punched repeatedly as Fox removed Ms Ahmed's purse from her handbag before making off.

Mr Howells explained how witnesses had heard Ms Ahmed's screams and the manager of a local pub had reported hearing racist remarks being made, although the offence was not thought to be racially motivated by the court.

A member of the public intervened to help Ms Ahmed and managed to retrieve the purse but only after it had been stripped of £20 in cash and he too had been racially abused, the court heard.

Defending, Jason Taylor described the robbery as unpleasant and undeserved but sought to stress the minor injuries suffered by Ms Ahmed and explained that Fox, despite being heavily pregnant, "had consumed a lot of alcohol".

He told the court the 28-year-old had left school with no qualifications and in recent years had suffered the death of her father and a stillbirth, which she was struggling to come to terms with.

Judge Longman though was quick to remind the court of the psychological effects on a victim of such an attack in broad daylight in a public place, around 7pm on an early summer evening.

He referred to Fox's "appalling" record of 19 previous convictions, mainly for theft offences, and sentenced her to 14 months in jail for robbery. He said: "It must have been extremely upsetting for (Ms Ahmed) at the time and will continue to affect her indefinitely.

"Her physical injuries may be slight but this will live with her for a long time to come."