An 18-year-old from West Molesey has been jailed after he viciously attacked a teenage girl with a hammer last year.

Jack Gower of Molesham Way, West Molesey, was jailed for five years after pleading guilty to malicious wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm when he appeared at Guildford Crown Court yesterday (February 5).

Gower was also sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment (to run concurrently), after pleading guilty to possession of an offensive weapon.

The court heard how the 18-year-old victim was walking along Friary Street in Guildford around 6.10pm on July 4, 2019, when Gower approached her from behind.

He "took a claw hammer out of his bag and hit her on the back of the head with it two or three times.

"She was left with concussion and two serious cuts to her head as a result of the attack," a spokesperson for Surrey Police described.

After he was arrested, police said a search also found a knife and a balaclava in Gower's bag at the time of the attack.

The county police force said that the victim had suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after the attack along with other psychological issues.

In a statement read out to the court, she said her life would “never be the same again”.

"I honestly thought I was going to die," she said.

"I had my whole life ahead of me but the attack left me scared to leave the house and suffering from panic attacks.

“I can cover up the physical scars on my head, they will fade, but this completely unprovoked attack has caused me so many psychological issues, that my life will never be the same again."

Surrey Police's Detective Constable Seb Valentine, who investigated the offence, described the attack as "brutal" and said it was "extremely fortunate" that not more serious injuries had been inflicted.

“This was a pre-meditated and brutal attack carried out in a busy pedestrianized area, with Gower making no attempt to conceal his crime," Valentine said.

"It is extremely fortunate that he did not cause the victim more serious harm that day.

“The victim was left traumatised and is still suffering from severe psychological damage as a result of the attack.

"The mental anguish she continues to experience was recognised by the judge in sentencing Gower.

"She is to be commended for her bravery throughout her ordeal and I hope that the sentence handed to Gower today will go some way towards helping her to move her on with her life," he added.