A teenager has been spared jail after a "moment of madness" in which he groped a girl in front of her boyfriend.

Connor Lawrence, 19, was given a six-month suspended prison sentence at Canterbury Crown Court today after being found guilty of sexual assault.

The court heard Lawrence, of Crabble Lane, River, near Dover, followed the 17-year-old victim and her boyfriend, 16, as they returned from a Halloween party at about midnight in October last year.

They became concerned and kept looking behind them at the young man who was "following very closely".

Lawrence suddenly shouted: "What are you looking at?" and became very aggressive, the prosecution said.

He squared-up to his victim's boyfriend and became more and more aggressive and the girl became very upset, telling him to leave.

Fearing her boyfriend was about to be hit she put herself between them.

Lawrence then pulled up her skirt and groped her.

Two police officers on patrol in Lower Road, River, saw the girl in distress "crying uncontrollably" and saw Lawrence walking away "repeatedly looking round" and stopped to question him.

But they were distracted when the victim's parents – who had been alerted by their daughter's mobile phone call – and the girl's father became angry and Lawrence took the opportunity to leave the area.

Lawrence was arrested days later.

Nicholas Jones, defending, said Lawrence's actions were "a young man's moment of madness".

"your behaviour was loutish, bullying and wholly offensive…” – judge michael o'sullivan

He added: "It was motivated by a desire to humiliate, rather than sexual gratification.

"We are not dealing with somebody with abhorrent sexual behaviour."

Judge Michael O’Sullivan said Lawrence, who had no previous convictions, showed no remorse and continued to deny the offence.

He said: "Your actions must have been a horrible experience for her which may live in the memory a long time.

"She was a total stranger to you, she had not been aggressive towards you.

"You on the other hand, your behaviour was loutish, bullying and wholly offensive."

Lawrence was sentenced to six months' prison - suspended for 18 months.

He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours' unpaid work and put on a four-month curfew where he will be electronically tagged between 8pm and 6am.