A young man who admitted to slashing a woman's face after she failed to comply with his robbery attempt will spend two years in prison.

Ravon Foster, 19, of Hannah Town, Kingston 12, pleaded guilty to the charge of unlawful wounding when he appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court on Monday.

Allegations are that the complainant was standing along the roadway when Foster walked up behind her and used a knife to cut her on the right side of her face. The complainant received 18 stitches.

When asked to explain why he cut the woman, Foster said, "I attempted to rob her, Your Honour, and after that I used the knife and cut her."

However, the complainant claimed she did not hear his demands.

Senior RM Judith Pusey questioned if the accused was of sound mind and the arresting officer confirmed that he was.

The officer also added that the accused is an orphan whose father died when he was three years old and his mother died when he was eight.

In administering her sentence, Pusey said, "You are going to serve two years for this, you know! You can't just walk up to the woman and cut her in the face."