A restaurant boss who molested waitresses has been jailed this week for 18 months.

David Rayner, 59, was convicted in January of three offences of sexual assault at a burger bar in Maidstone.

The grandfather from Manns Hill, Canterbury groped one young woman on her first day at work, causing her to not return.

No action was taken but he was charged after another teenager complained she had been sexually assaulted, causing her to walk out and lose her job.

John Fitzgerald, defending, said: “Maidstone is a small town. Everybody knows he was convicted. It is the talk of the town.

"He doesn’t know if he can show his face in the community again.”

After prison, Rayner plans to run a scheme to help offenders find work. He will be on the sex offenders’ register and will be banned from working with children.