Man who sexually assaulted girls in Stamford woods jailed

A man who sexually assaulted two girls in woods has been jailed for nine years.

Jacques Nel, 39, followed his victims into an area near the Meadows park, Stamford, in July 2024.

He was eventually disturbed by a group of teenage boys, Lincoln Crown Court heard on Monday.

Nel, formerly of Chapel Lane, North Luffenham, in Rutland, pleaded guilty to three sexual offences against a child.

The court heard Nel had indecently exposed himself when he entered the wooded area.

Steve Taylor, mitigating, said his client had “a problem with alcohol and cannabis misuse”.

He added: “He’s had a significant impact on these two teenagers and he regrets it.”

Nel had two previous convictions for performing an indecent act on himself during train journeys in Cornwall in January 2022.

Passing sentence, Recorder Paul Mann KC told Nel the latest offences represented a “serious escalation in his level of offending”.

He said: “The offences were in a public place. Each girl was abused in the presence of the other.”

Nel was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order. He must register as a sex offender for life.