A Margate businessman calling himself Captain Rugwash has been carpeted... for being a sex pest.

Stephen Bromfield, 54, admitted groping one married woman, exposing himself to another victim and then asking a young teenager to reveal her breasts.

But when the perverted boss of a clothing shop called Big For Men in the town tried to claim he was a victim, he received a stern dressing down from a judge.

Judge Adele Williams told Bromfield, pictured left: "You seem to be on a voyage of self-discovery. You regard yourself as the victim. You most certainly are not. That's absurd.

"During this period of time you behaved as a sexual predator. You need to recognise that your behaviour which created victims. They need their position regarded and not yours.

"And the sooner you start to realise that then the quicker you might be on the proper course of rehabilitation."

Bromfield, formerly of Lesley Avenue, Garlinge, admitted three sex offences and was today given a three-year community order requiring him to take a special course to deal with his sex problems.

Afterwards, one victim - who attended the hearing at Canterbury Crown Court - said: "We are not happy with the sentence. He should have gone straight to jail. Some of us are still suffering because of what he put us through."

Danny Robinson, prosecuting, told how in 2000 Bromfield opened his clothing store, which has now closed, in Margate with his wife Alison.

But four years later she began suffering health problems and Bromfield's behaviour changed and he began pestering a woman and sending explicit texts while performing a sex act.

Later at a caravan he owned at Monkton, he attempted to put his hand down the woman's top - but she beat off the attack by kicking him and slapping him in the face.

"he should have gone straight to jail…” – a victim of captain rugwash

Mr Robinson said Bromfield then propositioned a young teenager, who was getting changed, asking her to show him her breasts. She refused.

The prosecutor said that by October 2010 things came to a head when the victims made allegations and Bromfield dismissed them as "all f****** little liars".

He later sent a text saying: "I did do it all."

Hours later, emergency services were called after he attempted suicide by swallowing painkillers and alcohol and he was taken to hospital.

Mr Robinson said after recovering he met his estranged wife in a cafe and confessed, giving her two letters and telling her: "What had happened was all true. I was two people - I was completed f***** up in my head."

But when the police were alerted, Bromfield - who later ran a carpet cleaning business called Captain Rugwash - initially denied the offences. he claimed his apology was only about his suicide attempt.

Janine Sheff, defending, said Bromfield had been self-employed all his life but was now out of work and on £100-a-week benefits.

She said that after the suicide attempt he had spent three months at a Sidcup hospital being treated for mental health problems.

After his first appearance at Margate Magistrates' Court, a photograph of him appeared on the internet along with "obscene comments" and he faced "harassment" on social networking sites.

But the judge told him he should stay away from the internet.

Stephen Bromfield was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court

Judge Williams added: "You need to seriously disabuse yourself of that view. You are not the victim - you created victims by your behaviour. You must accept responsibility.

"One of your victims you sexually assaulted after sexually pestering her - even putting your hand down her top against her will and touching her breasts. She had to physically restrain you.

"On another occasionally you incited a young teenage girl to engage in sexual activity with you by asking her to show you her breasts. She sensibly completely refused."

"You took no notice of the alarm and distress that your behaviour was causing your victims. And this order to attend the Sex Offenders' Programme requires you to face up to what you did and why you did it. It is not a soft option."

Bromfield was also ordered to remain in his home between 7pm and 7 am for the next three months - and pay £800 costs.

He was also made the subject to a Sex Offences Prevention Order, prohibiting him from taking work that might lead him to come into contact with children under the age of 16 years.