A man has been charged with robbery after a teenager had his nose broken and phone stolen in a graveyard in Lymington.

Richard Daniel Kitcher, 33, of Efford Way, Lymington has been remanded in custody until his next court appearance.

It comes after a man in his late teens was approached by a group of two men and two girls in the graveyard at St Thomas the Apostle Church in St Thomas Street.

He was then assaulted, suffering a suspected broken nose, and had his mobile phone stolen.

The phone was later recovered but had been damaged beyond repair.

A 57-year-old man and 15-year-old girl, both from Lymington, were also arrested on suspicion of robbery, but have since been released on bail.

Detective Constable Samuel Hussey, who is investigating the robbery between 5.45pm and 6pm on Saturday, January 27, said: “This incident would have occurred at a relatively busy time of day, with plenty of footfall around the area.

“It also happened adjacent to The Six Bells, which was busy with patrons at the time.

“If you were in The Six Bells that night, do you recall seeing anything which might us in our investigation?

“The victim described people passing by and being told not to intervene by the attackers.

“Perhaps you were one of these people. If you, were please get in touch with us.”

Kitcher appeared at Southampton Magistrates’ Court yesterday morning and will next appear at Southampton Crown Court on Friday, March 1.

Anyone in the area who witnessed anything suspicious should call 101 and quote incident number 44240039174.

Alternatively, they can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.