Cyclist who sexually assaulted 15 women and girls aged 11-57 jailed for four years

Randall-Coles cycled alongside his victims, who were often walking alone at night, and groped them

Police released CCTV footage showing Daniel Randall-Coles approaching and assaulting a 12-year-old girl while she was on her way to school (Hampshire Police)

A cyclist has been jailed for four years for sexually assaulting 15 women and girls, including a 11-year-old girl.

Daniel Randall-Coles, 25, from Southampton, committed 17 sexual assaults over three weeks in January.

Randall-Coles cycled alongside his victims, who were often walking alone at night, and groped them.

Daniel Randall-Coles, 25, from Southampton, committed 17 sexual assaults over three weeks in January (Hampshire Police)

Police launched a public appeal, releasing CCTV footage of Randall-Coles approaching and assaulting a 12-year-old girl while she was on her way to school.

He handed himself in at Southampton Central Police Station on 31 January.

Randall-Coles pleaded guilty at Southampton Court on 4 March to 15 counts of sexual assault on a female and two counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching.

Police released CCTV footage of Daniel Randall-Coles, which led to him handing himself in (Hampshire Police)

Detective Sergeant Matt Barcraft-Barnes, from the Western Investigations Team, said: “This was a complex investigation with numerous victims all reporting sexual assault by a stranger, described in the same way, in various locations within Southampton, in a very short amount of time.

"We received a large number of reports in quick succession, which we swiftly consolidated to concentrate on bringing in one man.

“With the help from media and the public, Randall-Coles found himself having to present himself at a police station on January 31, less than 24 hours after we released his image."

He added: “Randall-Coles was brazen and arrogant in his approach to committing these crimes, targeting victims aged 11-years-old to 57-years-old across the city for his own gratification. I hope the sentencing here today goes some way to giving the many victims closure.”