A judge said that people had a right to use public transport in safety after he jailed a pensioner he called an 'old drunk' who groped a young schoolgirl and a woman while travelling on a bus.

Douglas Collier, 73, who had been drinking heavily, sexually assaulted a 13 year-old schoolgirl, who was a passenger on a Great Yarmouth bus with her friend, in June, last year, Norwich Crown Court heard.

Lindsay Cox, prosecuting, said that while on bail for this offence, in March, this year, Collier made lewd comments to a woman passenger on a bus going to Winterton and then groped her.

Collier of Appleton Drive, Ormesby, admitted two sex assaults and was jailed for 10 months and placed on the sex offender's register for 10 years.

Sentencing him, Recorder Guy Ayers told Collier he accepted he was full of remorse for his behaviour but said: 'Women and young girls are entitled to use public transport without any risk at all of this treatment or behaviour by an old drunk. It was thoroughly disgusting behaviour.'

He said it must have been a frightening experience for the victims and said: 'The courts have to send out a message to men and women using public transport that this type of behaviour will be treated severely.'

Andrew Oliver, for Collier, who had served in a the Navy, said that he had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and that the one reason behind his offending was his heavy drinking.