A Croydon teenager convicted of smashing a car window with a large "zombie" knife has had his "lenient" sentence overturned.

Joshua Gardner, 18, was filmed last year attacking a car in broad daylight on London Road, Thornton Heath, forcing the vehicle's driver to flee on foot.

In November he was convicted of three charges and given a two-year suspended sentence, which was subsequently referred by the Attorney General to the Court of Appeal for review following a public outcry.

Today he was jailed for three and a half years, as the court of appeal overturned his original sentence, judging it to be “unduly lenient.”

Lord Justice Leveson said: “One of the challenges facing society is the common place carrying of knives.

“There can never be any excuse for carrying a weapon of the type this offender carried.

“It falls to the court to demonstrate that such behaviour must result in a custodial sentence.”

Gardner will serve his sentence in a young offender institution.

Your Local Guardian: Joshua Gardner

Gardner, then 17, was filmed pulling up alongside a car on a bicycle in May 2018. The 19-year-old driver, who was known to Gardner, attempted to drive away, veering into Gardner’s path before crashing into a vehicle in front of him.

Gardner then brandished a large knife, smashing through the car’s window before the driver escaped on foot.

In November he was found guilty of attempting to cause GBH with intent, having admitted affray and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place

Judge Anuja Dhir QC handed down a two-year suspended sentence, citing various mitigating factors in explanation for her decision not to send Gardner to prison.

Gardner had already spent more than 5 months in HMP Highdown and Belmarsh on remand before his trial began.

Earlier in 2018 he was kidnapped and forced to work for a drug dealer in order to pay off another man’s debt.

She also referenced his difficult upbringing. One of his brothers is dead and the other is currently in prison for murder.

In Judge Dhir’s view, he had a good chance of rehabilitation.

Gardner was also given a nine-month curfew and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

The sentence drew criticism from Sadiq Khan and senior figures in the police force for failing to protect the public.

Gardner, who sat with his mother, was taken into custody immediately from the court room. Unprepared, he did not bring any personal belongings, taking just what he had on him.