A man who grabbed the bottoms of two women in Welwyn Garden City within minutes of each other has been ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register.

Armel Gbio molested the first victim while she was walking on 20th Mile Bridge in Broadwater Road, St Albans Crown Court heard.

Gbio was on foot, walking alongside another man on a bike, when he touched her bottom.

It happened at around 6.30pm on August 27.

Prosecutor Helen Guest said: “The woman was stunned and turned round, but she decided not to confront them.”

But it was witnessed by a friend of the woman, who was driving past.

And the friend later showed her a newspaper report which showed a woman jogger had been groped in a similar manner nearby.

That woman had turned around and sworn at the man, before reporting it to the police.

Both victims were in their 40s.

The following week Gbio, of Mayes Road, Wood Green, touched three schoolgirls, one aged 14 and two aged 13, in London in a similar way.

He denied having been in WGC, but was convicted of two counts of sexual assault and three of sexual activity with a child.

Judge Andrew Bright QC sentenced him to 80 hours’ unpaid work, supervision for two years and said he must be on the Sex Offender Register for five years.