A CONVICTED sex offender who pinched a pregnant woman’s bottom in the street — while she walked home in Burnley with her 16-month old son — has been jailed.

Burnley Crown Court was told that the victim, who had once lived close to Darren Hargreaves, 45, was left so distraught that she never returned home and eventually moved away from the town.

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Hargreaves, formerly of Ball Street, Nelson, but now living in Wigan, admitted sexual assault. He was jailed for 21 months and ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register.

Judge Beverley Lunt told him: “She was eight months pregnant and she had a 16-month-old walking beside her in the street, at 11am. There is no question that this was a great shock to her.”

The judge told the court it was clear, from the pre-sentence report, that Hargreaves had shown little remorse for his actions.

Julian Goode, prosecuting, said Hargreaves did not say a word before grabbing the left side of the woman’s bottom as she walked along St Matthew’s Street. Hargreaves walked away in silence afterwards.

The woman was left in shock and walked to her sister’s home. She never went back to her own property, even when she had her baby, and has now moved away from the area.

Mr Goode said Hargreaves had related convictions, dating back to 1986 and 1991.

Those offences included indecently exposing himself to a woman in the street and approaching another victim from behind and undoing her bra before fondling her breasts.

Kath Johnson, mitigating, said there had been a 25-year gap between sexual offences committed by the defendant, who was due to be married later this month.

She told the court that he would benefit from support from the probation service, which could determine whether there was a “re-emerging problem” with Hargreaves’ behaviour.