Man on moped groped 5 women who stopped to give him directions

A SEX attacker on a moped has been jailed after groping five women who stopped to give him directions in Nuneaton.

Sean Bradley targeted women out running or leaving a gym, leaving many of his victims scared to go out alone, a judge at Warwick Crown Court heard.

The 29-year-old of Station Road in Higham-on-the-Hill was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to five charges of sexual assault.

He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years and, because he had committed the offences while out on his moped, banned from driving for two years and 11 months.

Prosecutor Ian Windridge said the first attack was in early May when a woman was heading to her car after leaving a gym when someone spoke to her from behind.

She turned, and Bradley, who was on his moped, asked her for directions – but as she began to give them, he reached out and groped her.

On May 19 another woman was in Attleborough when Bradley rode up to her on his moped and asked her for directions before grabbing her while she did so. Then on June 12 another woman was out running when she noticed a moped parked in an unusual position at a junction.

As she got nearer Bradley asked her for directions before touching her. When she pulled away, he asked her in crude terms if she would like to have sex, but she “politely told him she would not”, said Mr Windridge.

The following day another runner was out in the same area when a moped coming in the opposite direction stopped next to her.

Bradley asked her for directions, and put his hand on her buttock – and when she pulled away, he grabbed himself and making an obscene suggestion. The next day a fifth woman was out for an early morning run in Nuneaton when Bradley, who was standing next to his moped, again asked for directions, and molested her as she suggested two routes. He asked her crudely if she wanted to have sex with him, but she turned and ran without responding.

Between them, the five women provided the police with sufficient information to get the registration of the moped, which was traced to Bradley.

When he was questioned he admitted the five offences, but denied a sixth matter which Mr Windridge said the prosecution had decided not to proceed with. He added that, at the time, Bradley was subject to a community order imposed at Leicester Crown Court in November last year for two similar sexual assaults.

Derek Johashen, defending, suggested there had not been any planning behind the offences, but Judge Andrew Lockhart QC commented: “He knows he’s on an order, and he goes out and targets young women out running. There plainly has to be planning.”

Mr Johashen said: “What Mr Bradley indicated in his interview is that he’s been suffering from a huge number of emotional problems, and he has a history of self-harm. It may well be that behaving in this way is some odd and unusual cry for help.

“He is destructive to himself,” he added, arguing that Bradley could be given a suspended sentence with a sex offender’s programme.

Jailing Bradley, Judge Lockhart pointed out that his victims have spoken of feeling violated, with one of them throwing away the running kit she was wearing that day, and another saying her love of running had been taken from her as a result.

“All of these victims are lone females out running. I have absolutely no doubt you are a person who drove round looking for them. There must be significant planning,” he told Bradley. “I cannot possibly suspend the sentence. You had the opportunity to address your sexual offending under the community order, and did not take it,” Judge Lockhart added.