A man who dressed as an old lady to prey on young women and a schoolgirl has been jailed for three years.

Tiny Paul Reed - who has more than 60 offences on his record - claimed his offending started because he wanted to wear his mother's clothes.

His barrister John Fitzgerald told Maidstone Crown Court "it brought him comfort" after being bullied at school for his size.

But Judge Adele Williams heard how the five foot jobless Reed targeted a 15-year-old school girl two days before Christmas 2017.

As the victim - who was in her school uniform - waited for a bus in King Street, Maidstone "and minding her own business", she was approached by the pervert, said prosecutor Lucy Luttman.

She revealed how the schoolgirl thought Reed, 57, was a woman when he began a conversation about the weather in a voice that sounded feminine.

Ms Luttman said Reed then began hugging the child ensuring "she wasn't going anywhere".

"She didn't know what to do and told Reed to stop and to get off, " she added.

But Reed continued hugging his victim before "running his hand" up her leg and underneath her skirt.

Eventually the terrified teenager fled and sought refuge in a nearby shop before hiding behind a billboard until another bus came along.

Ms Luttman said Reed also attacked two women in Chatham - one who was homeless - again posing as a woman.

Both victims - who were adults - later admitted feeling distressed by the betrayal, the court heard.

Judge Williams told him that his victims were left feeling "humiliated and degraded" by his actions.

She said: “You have, in my judgement, an entrenched compulsion to behave in this way. Your behaviour caused very serious distress.”

Reed, of Gordon Avenue, Chatham, admitted 11 offences, including two sex assaults in November and December and nine breaches of an order banning him from covering his face or approaching, touching or communicating with women.

After being jailed for three years in 2009, he was made the subject of a sex offences prevention order – banning him from posing as a woman.

But in 2012 Canterbury Crown Court was told how in January a nurse at Pembury Hospital was approached by Reed, who she believed to be an elderly woman who was cold.

Reed, who was then living in Clements Close, Canterbury, was spotted conning women near Maidstone and Pembury hospitals.

The diminutive Reed, who wore a woollen hat and scarf to disguise his features, began rubbing his hands as he chatted with the nurse about the weather.

Reed linked arms and huddled towards the nurse making her feel “very uncomfortable”, the court heard.

Police constable Jacqueline Little, an investigating officer for the case, said: "Reed has persistently shown himself to be a nuisance to women and his behaviour cannot be allowed to go unchallenged.

"Despite numerous restrictions being placed on him, he continued to breach them and caused a significant amount of distress in the process.

"The sentence imposed is entirely justified and I am pleased he is no longer able to cause distress to innocent members of the public."

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