A SENTENCE of less than five years for a robber who left a teenager fighting for his life is too lenient, a police officer says.

The head of Bromley Police's robbery squad Detective Inspector Garry Stokes made the comments after the sentencing of George Isodo at Croydon Crown Court yesterday.

Isodo was found guilty of smashing a metal pole around Mekel Bailey's head in Betts Park, Penge, and stealing the mobile phones belonging to the 18-year-old and his 17-year-old friend.

Mr Bailey regained consciousness after the attack on September 11 last year but had a fit at the Mayday Hospital, Croydon, because he had bleeding on the brain.

He was in a coma for 11 days before regaining consciousness and was not released from the specialist neurological unit in St George's Hospital, Tooting, until September 27.

Isodo, of Bovil Road, Brockley, was arrested on October 20 after the police traced the victim's mobile phone, even though the sim card had been replaced.

The 22-year-old was charged with GBH and two counts of robbery at the court on February 28 and was convicted of the GBH and the robbery against Mr Bailey on May 14.

The second robbery charge was ordered to remain on the Croydon College student's file.

Isodu was sentenced to 54 months imprisonment for the GBH offence and received a 30 month sentence for the robbery offence, which is to be served concurrently.

Mr Stokes said: "I am disappointed at the leniency of this sentence.

"This was a vicious and totally unprovoked attack on a young man that will affect him for the rest of his life - and for what, a mobile phone?

"This is totally unacceptable and the level of violence in this attack merited a much more severe sentence in my opinion."