A sexual predator who touched himself on a Kent-bound train just days after attacking a woman in a park has been jailed after police tracked his getaway "Boris bike".

Christion Wright, 28, targeted his first victim in a sexually motivated attack in London's St James’s Park in January last year.

Just days later he was reported to British Transport Police for a lewd act on a woman's bag while next to a female passenger whilst on board a Southeastern train destined for Greenhithe, near Dartford.

Wright, of Nelson Square, Southwark, pleaded guilty to both sexual assaults at Southwark Crown Court on December 20 last year.

The court heard how at around 11.30pm on January 29, Wright followed and sexually assaulted a woman who was walking in St James’s Park.

He dragged her to the ground while carrying out a sex act on himself and announcing his intention to have sex but the victim bit his hand and he fled the scene on a Santander hire bike.

Detectives based at Charing Cross police station launched an investigation and pieced together CCTV evidence showing him cycle away from the first attack. He was later seen on CCTV docking the bike in Lower Marsh on the Southbank.

He was arrested on March 5, 2021 and charged with the offence in St James’s Park.

Wright was later linked to the train assault by his DNA which was obtained whilst in custody for the first offence.

This enabled detectives to link the "Boris Bike" used to Wright and an outstanding suspect for an offence on February 2 on a Southeastern train travelling from London Waterloo to Greenhithe. Wright was also charged with sexual assault for this offence.

He pleaded guilty to both offences and was sentenced last Monday to three years and eight months’ imprisonment and placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Detective Constable Henh Ban Song of Central West CID said: “My colleagues and I are using all legitimate methods at our disposal to identify and convict those who commit crimes against women in the capital.

“In this case, Met officers based at Charing Cross police station used technologies including the CCTV network, financial instrument analysis and DNA matching to identify and convict the offender.

“Women and girls in London are safer for our hard work and tenacity.”

He added: “In my view, Wright’s offending may have escalated quickly and alarmingly had he not been caught so soon after the offence in St James’s Park.

“I am appealing for anyone else who may have been a victim of Wright to contact me by calling 101 with the reference 6502934/21.”