A
bus sex pest, who groped eight females – the youngest a twelve
year-old girl – in just three days roaming on the network has been
locked-up for two years.
Dean
Forte, 33, was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court after being found
guilty of eight sexual assaults.
He
was placed on the sex offenders register for ten years and a Sexual
Offences Prevention Order was made to prevent him from having contact
with children under sixteen years-old.
Forte
committed five sexual assaults on buses in Wandsworth on December 11,
2013, all within an hour of one another.
Three
days later on December 14 he committed a further three sexual
assaults on buses in Waltham Forest.
Forte
travelled on buses, sitting next to the victims before touching their
thighs.
The
youngest victim targeted by Forte was only twelve years-old.
The
suspect was identified after victims offered identical suspect
descriptions following the first assaults - a black male wearing a
'puffa' style jacket, black beanie hat, carrying a white carrier bag,
and wearing white earphones.
On
December 14 police were called to reports of a sexual assault on a
bus in Chingford, where the description given of the suspect matched
earlier offences.
Police
attended and arrested Forte on suspicion of sexual assault.
The
sentence follows successful partnership work involving British
Transport Police, Metropolitan Police Service, City of London Police
and Transport for London.
Superintendent
Rob Revill, from the Roads and Transport Policing Command, said:
"This sentence highlights our commitment to tackling sexual
offences on London's buses.
“We
take all reports of sexual offences on buses seriously and are
commited to bringing offenders to justice.
"If
someone has made you feel uncomfortable on your bus journey - however
minor it may seem to you - reporting it to police can help us target
the perpetrator and prevent it happening to another passenger."
Graham
Daly, Head of Community Safety and Policing Partnerships at Transport
for London, said: "Unwanted sexual behaviour of this kind will
not be tolerated on our transport network and so I'm pleased this
repeated sex offender has been jailed and put on the Sex Offenders
Register for his predatory and disgusting crimes."
“It
is never ok to be threatened or distressed by another persons
behaviour. If someone has made you feel uncomfortable, for example
touched you in an inappropriate manner, we strongly encourage you to
tell the police.
“They
can then not only target the perpetrator but also help to prevent it
happening to someone else.
"Over
ten million passengers use our public transport services each day
with very few ever experiencing or witnessing crime - and we are
working hard with London's policing agencies to ensure our transport
network remains a safe, low crime environment."
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