Philip Rooney, 48, appeared at Winchester Crown Court today (Friday 17 October) in relation to two incidents which took place on Monday 21 July.

On Monday 21 July, Rooney approached a 16 year-old girl on Milton Lane in Portsmouth and touched her inappropriately over her clothing.

The girl then ran home and told her parents what had happened, who went out to look for Rooney.

On finding him, Rooney attempted to flee and was detained by the father whilst the police were called.

Rooney began head-butting the father repeatedly, causing him to sustain a bloody nose.

He escaped, but was subsequently identified by an officer and arrested the following day.

Rooney was found guilty by a jury at Winchester Crown Court on 15 September of sexual assault and assault by beating.

He appeared again at the same court today, where he was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment.

Detective Constable Amy Thatcher from the Eastern Criminal Investigations Department said, “I am pleased with today’s sentence and to see Rooney face justice for his actions.

“I understand that coming forward to police to report can feel difficult and scary, but we have specialist teams who will support you.

“We are here to listen to anyone who has been the victim of a sexual assault and we promise to take every report incredibly seriously and investigate robustly.”

We want to encourage anyone who has been affected by sexual assault to contact police on 101, where you can speak to an officer in confidence.

We recognise that not everyone has the confidence to talk to police about what they have experienced. Please be reassured that there are other services available that can offer you specialist support to help you deal with the impact of abuse.

For information and contact details relating to sexual abuse support services, you can visit our dedicated web page: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/rsa/rape-and-sexual-assault/support-for-victims-of-rape-and-sexual-assault/