A thug who dragged a woman along the pavement by her hair and then her arm, has been jailed for 18 months.

James Davies, 28, from Gravesend, also punched, kicked and spat on his victim following a night out together in October.

The vicious assault was captured on CCTV and shown in court after Davies, of Windmill Street, had pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm.

VIDEO: Brutal thug drags woman along pavement by hair

He was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court earlier this week.

The judge heard how Davies had been out drinking with the 24-year-old woman in the Halling area of Medway, and had driven her back to Gravesend.

At some point during the journey they began to argue, and he assaulted her after she got out of the car.

He grabbed the woman by her hair and dragged her along the pavement before punching and kicking her several times to the head and body.

CCTV footage later captured Davies carrying his victim along Windmill Street, where he dropped her on the floor before continuing to drag her by the arm and assault her.

A number of concerned onlookers raised the alarm to police, including one woman in her 60s who attempted to intervene and was herself threatened by aggressive Davies.

Officers were sent to the scene and Davis was arrested at his home, where the victim was also found.

She had suffered two black eyes and extensive bruising and graze marks to the rest of her body.

Catherine Donnelly, defending, said Davies had a problem with drink. She added she had not been shown any evidence of a history of domestic violence.

Judge Charles Macdonald QC said the context of the offence was a stormy relationship where some force was used in the past "in both directions".

"It was a very sustained attack. It is also a case where the intention was to do more harm than actually occurred" - Judge Charles Macdonald QC

"It was a single, though disgraceful piece of violence," he said when passing sentence. "You had an argument with your former partner in the car. Both of you had been drinking.

"It turned to violence when something she said provoked you. You grabbed her hair. When out of the car you punched her to the face and head a number of times.

"When she went to the ground you kicked her. You dragged her along the street and punched her again. She suffered, surprisingly, nothing worse than bruises and a scrape mark on her hip."

The judge said the violence was witnessed by three people, one of whom tried to get Davies to stop. But he ignored the plea and continued to use his feet as a weapon.

"She was vulnerable because of intoxication," said Judge Macdonald. "It was a very sustained attack. It is also a case where the intention was to do more harm than actually occurred.

"This was a case of domestic violence. You were drunk. There is genuine remorse and there was some provocation. Clearly, this is a case for immediate custody."

The judge decided a restraining order was not necessary as there was no evidence of harassment by Davies.

After the sentencing, DC Phil Pead said: “The CCTV footage of this incident is truly shocking and shows a defenceless woman viciously attacked by a man who clearly gave not a single thought for her welfare.

“It is miraculous she was not more seriously injured given the brutal and sustained assault she was forced to endure at the hands of an offender who poses an obvious danger to women.

“I would like to pay tribute to her for the courage she has displayed throughout, including her wanting footage of the incident to be made public.

“I hope it sends a clear message to other victims of domestic abuse that there is no excuse for such violence and that you do not need to suffer in silence.

“I would like to thank everyone who assisted with the investigation, including those who reported the incident to us having been appalled and concerned by what they were witnessing.”