A STRANGER who stroked the hair of a young girl and touched her knee after sitting next to her on a quiet evening bus has been jailed.
Swansea Crown Court heard the 33-year-old man told the girl he wanted to go for a coffee with her, and then gave her is phone number.
The court was told that a fellow passenger became concerned about what Jamie Robert Shaddick was doing and intervened, asking the girl if she was okay and then escorting the defendant off the bus.
Shaddick, of Chapel Street, Mumbles, had previously pleaded guilty to sexual assault when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.
Ian Ibrahim, prosecuting, told the court that the drunken defendant first approached the young girl as she stood at a Swansea bus stop in March this year and began talking to her, including asking her age — which she told him.
The girl got on the near-empty bus when it arrived and sat down, placing her bag on the seat next to her in an attempt to deter the defendant from joining her.
However, Shaddick sat down next to her and again began talking to her, leaning close to her face and telling her he wanted to give her his phone number and go for coffee with her.
The court heard Shaddick then began touching her knee before stroking and playing with her hair.
The barrister said the ordeal lasted for around 10 minutes before another passenger, noticing that the girl "clearly looked uncomfortable" challenged Shaddick.
The court heard Shaddick initially told the Good Samaritan the young girl was his wife, before the passenger escorted him from the vehicle.
Mr Ibrahim read to the court a victim impact statement in which the young girl said the incident had "really frightened" her, and left her finding it hard to trust people.
Helen Randall, for Shaddick, said her client felt "genuine remorse and disgust" at what he had done.
She said a probation report had found no evidence that he had a sexual interest in young girls, and that a search of the internet history on his computer had found "legitimate and appropriate" pornography sites.
The court heard Shaddick was subject to a suspended sentence at the time of the sexual assault - which had been imposed for dangerous driving, failing to stop, and failing to provide a sample of breath - and to a community order for harassment.
The motoriing offences relate to an incident in June 2015 when police had become suspicious of his black BMW convertible which was parked at a strange angle on Constitution Hill — officers approached but he sped off leaving the passenger door open and his passenger's leg dangling out.
Shaddick drove at speeds touching 60mph through Swansea and evaded police — but was arrested later in Kenilworth Place, West Cross.
The harrasment offence relates to text messages sent to an ex-partner in November.
Judge Keith Thomas said the sexual assault had been a very frightening experience for the girl, adding: "She was travelling along on a quite empty bus and you took advantage of her when you were in drink."
He said he was certain Shaddick "would have taken matters further" had the other passenger not intervened.
The judge sentenced Shaddick to 12 months in prison for the sexual assault, and activated four months of the previously imposed suspended sentence, both to run consecutively making a total of 16 months. He also revoked the community order and sentenced the defendant to one month in prison for the harassment offence, the sentence to run concurrently with the other sentences.
Shaddick will also be on the sex offenders register for the next 10 years.
The judge also said he wanted to commend the passenger who intervened for his "public spiritedness", and said he would be recommending him for acknowledgement by the High Sheriff of West Glamorgan.
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