A MAN who sexually assaulted a woman in broad daylight in Gravesend while claiming to be under the influence of a legal high, has been jailed for 18 months.

Arjun Sehgal, 21, of Lamorna Street, Gravesend, had to be pulled off his victim before being chased and detained by a member of the public following the assault at around 7pm on July 9.

He molested the 29-year-old woman as she walked towards a block of flats in Homemead Close just after smoking what he claimed was a legal high.

Just before Sehgal grabbed her, the woman saw him get out of a parked van and follow her along the pavement.

When he spoke to her, she told him she didn't speak to strangers and Sehgal replied "don't be like that" before grabbing her around the shoulders and trying to pull her close to him.

He then grabbed her head and dragged her to the floor, lying down on top of her and rubbing his hands over her body before putting his hand up her skirt.

Alerted by the victim's screams, several witnesses ran to help the woman and one dragged Sehgal off her.

He then tried to run up Parrock Street but was chased down by members of the public and held until police arrived and arrested him.

In interview, Sehgal insisted he had passed out around 3pm after smoking a synthetic legal high called Annihilation which mimics the effects of cannabis and the next thing he remembered was being sick inside a police car.

Sehgal initially denied assaulting the woman but changed his plea to guilty three days into a trial at Maidstone Crown Court on July 17.

He was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Monday where he was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.

Detective Constable Simon Williams said: "Despite pleading guilty during the trial, Sehgal showed no remorse for his actions.

"Hopefully a spell behind bars will give him ample opportunity to think about the consequences of not only his actions that day, but also in using a legal high and then trying to use it as a defence to claim he could not remember the incident.

"I hope the sentence will go some way to allowing the victim, who has displayed tremendous strength and courage over the last year, to move on with her life."