A man who persistently harassed women with sexual and other offensive comments as they walked along Lewes Road has been jailed and banned from entering two shops.
Jamie Lee Parsons, 31, unemployed, of Stanley Court, Lewes Road, Brighton, admitted causing a public nuisance by making sexual and other offensive and inappropriate comments to female supermarket staff, customers, and women last year.
A judge at Hove Crown Court jailed him for eight months and gave him a restraining order to last indefinitely, prohibiting him from entering the two shops, loitering outside them, and from contacting or following the women involved.
At the hearing on Tuesday 1 March, Parsons pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting one of the women involved. But her evidence was included in the conviction and sentencing for public nuisance and the separate charge of sexual assault by touching will lay on the court file.
Parsons was arrested following a report made by one of the shops and swift action and an initial investigation by the Brighton Neighbourhood Policing Team.
Initially, no suspect had been identified but by taking detailed accounts from female victims, and from CCTV research, officers traced Parsons who lived near by, and he was arrested.
An investigation began and it became clear that other women had been the subjects of similar unpleasant approaches but had not reported them.
CID officers progressed the investigation by extensive research into reports made over the previous six months of unidentified males behaving in a similar way as reported.
Further investigation identified other women targeted by Parsons who had not made reports to police at the time.
The force Identification Unit then played an important role, carrying out ID procedures on 12 occasions to help ensure Parsons was linked to the offences.
Parsons’s behaviour had been to harass women unknown to him, making inappropriate comments, asking for their personal details, making sexual comments and even following some of them.
This caused the 10 identified victims to feel fear and distress and some felt unsafe leaving their place of work.
To begin with, Parsons denied any inappropriate conduct but when faced with CCTV evidence and identification of him by the victims, he pleaded guilty at court.
Detective Inspector Simon Morgan said: “We will always seek to take action on reports of inappropriate and offensive behaviour towards women and girls, and will do all we can to prosecute offenders and bring them to justice.
“If you are subject of offensive and inappropriate contact and comments in the street or other public places, we can investigate and take action if there is sufficient evidence. Please contact us either online or by calling 101.”
