Steven Medhurst 64

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A sexual bully who repeatedly slapped womens buttocks as they passed him has been jailed.

Steven Medhurst, of Dover, assaulted his latest victim three times, telling her off you go after the first smack.

Following his arrest the 62-year-old claimed the woman, who must remain anonymous for legal reasons, was lying.

But a jury unanimously convicted Medhurst of sexual assault following a three day trial at Canterbury Crown Court.

Judge Mark Weekes sentenced Medhurst to 16 months in prison at the same court last month.

He labelled Medhurst a sexually incontinent bully who derived pleasure from his victims sexual humiliation.

The action of slapping a woman on her bottom is undermining and demeaning for her, he added.

The judge voiced fear that handing down an immediate spell in custody would see the high risk sex offender, who has already served the equivalent of a 21 month sentence on remand, released without intense supervision.

Instead, he imposed a 12 month sentence suspended for two years which will see Medhurst under the strictest supervision, to help protect the public.

Judge Weekes also passed a 16 month immediate spell in custody for a separate matter, after Medhurst breached a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

During the trial, jurors heard Medhurst previously denied sexually assaulting two other women in 2013 and 2019, by slapping their bottoms.

But jurors had found him guilty on both occasions.

The court heard Medhurst attacked his latest victim on three separate occasions in 2020, while just out of sight from wife Debra.

'Whats it going to take for him to realise its not OK - you cant treat women in this way....'

His victim told the court she has been left constantly looking over my shoulder.

I feel dirty and violated with what hes done to me, she continued.

Whats it going to take for him to realise its not OK - you cant treat women in this way.

Hes a predator and he needs to be stopped before he does it again.

In his closing speech, prosecutor James Benson told the jury of four men and seven women the attacks show he has a propensity to sexually assault women in a certain way, by touching their bottoms.

He branded Medhurst: A man who has difficulties keeping his hands to himself when it comes to womens bottoms.

He became very flustered, you may think, when I asked him if his alleged victim had a nice bottom, Mr Benson explained.

His instant reaction was to lie and suggest he didnt have any view of her bottom, didnt look at it.

He ended up making the suggestion that Debbies bottom is nicer, which wasnt said with the greatest deal of conviction, he added.

He argued Medhurst became overwhelmed with the urge to assault his latest victim after she got so close he could smell her.

But Kieran Brand, defending, urged jurors to acquit Medhurst after dubbing the victims account inconsistent.

Alluding to Medhursts previous criminal record, and the fact he maintains his innocence on all convictions, he said: coincidences do happen.

Mr Brand told the story of Violet Jessop, a stewardess believed to be the only person to survive three sinking ships, including the Titanic, earning her the nickname Miss Unsinkable.

And he said although jurors may not like Medhurst they must be sure of his guilt to convict.

But Medhurst was convicted unanimously on all three counts after jurors deliberated for an hour and seven minutes.

Medhurst could be seen shaking his head in protest as the jury foreman delivered the verdicts, which the judge branded amateur dramatics.

Medhurst, of Reach Close, was on bail at the time of his latest offence and in breach of a suspended sentence order handed down in 2019.

He was also in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order after failing to notify the authorities about owning a computer tower.

A probe revealed 70,000 images had been deleted and could not be recovered.

Medhurst was handed a 10 year restraining order and 10 years of notification requirements.