A 𝑠e𝑥 pest who 𝑠e𝑥ually assaulted a 20-year-old female passenger during a train journey has been spared jail.

Hamada Salah, 28, who is seeking asylum in the UK, targeted two lone women in separate incidents on a TransPennine Express journey from Leeds to Middlesbrough in February.

The victims were left feeling ‘objectified’ and ‘unnerved’ after the Egyptian national began showing them pornography, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Salah targeted a woman aged 20, which he said was ‘the perfect age for 𝑠e𝑥’, and started touching her legs, before moving to another part of the train before rubbing his groin in front of a 67-year-old passenger.

Judge Carolyn Scott said it must have been a ‘terrible ordeal for a woman of 20’ and added: ‘She was on public transport and had no opportunity to escape the situation.’

She sentenced Salah to a suspended jail term and also gave him a 𝑠e𝑥ual harm prevention order which prohibits him from communicating with any unknown female on public transport unless it is a member of staff in relation to her duties.

He has also been banned from deliberately touching any unknown female on public transport under the same order.

Salah, who left his home country at the age of 14 due to civil unrest,  been isolated in the UK, with no friends, family or relationship, the court was told.

Prosecutor Joe Culley told the court Salah boarded the train at Garforth and sat at a table seat across the aisle from the 20-year-old stranger.

Mr Culley said: ‘Initially she paid the defendant little attention but began to notice from the corner of her eye that he kept looking at her.

‘He was facing her with his legs spread, which was causing her to feel uncomfortable.

‘She moved her bag into the seat next to her in an effort to obstruct his view of her.’

The court heard after about ten minutes Salah approached the woman and asked her questions about the train destination then requested to sit next to her, which she refused.

Mr Culley said Salah then sat on the table seat opposite the victim and told the court: ‘She began to feel him using his legs to make contact with her own legs and also doing the same with his feet.

‘She generously initially wrote this off as an accident but gradually realised this was a purposeful effort, each time she moved her legs and feet his would make contact again.

‘At one point she also noticed he was looking under the table, apparently to attempt to look up her skirt.’

The court heard Salah walked off and left a mobile phone on the table, which was showing pornographic images then came back and questioned her about her private life.

When she told him she was just 20, Salah said that was ‘the perfect age for 𝑠e𝑥’.

The court heard the woman left the carriage and Salah, who apologised, moved to another part of the train, where he asked a 67-year-old female passenger details about the journey.

Mr Culley added: ‘The defendant showed her an image on his phone of a gift card. She thought this was perhaps innocent communication difficulties about his ticket but the defendant began swiping through the images and the next image was pornography from the internet.

‘He laughed and said “oops, my girlfriend” and swiped to an image of a clothed woman who he said was his girlfriend.’

The court heard Salah sat next to the woman, who was alone in that carriage and began to rub his groin area.

The woman told him she was 67 in the hope it would deter him but his behaviour did not change.

Mr Culley said when a train guard approached the woman left the carriage.

Salah, of Wingrove Road, Newcastle, who has no previous convictions in the UK, admitted 𝑠e𝑥ual assault in relation to his legs and feet touching the woman under the table and two charges under the public order act of causing harassment, alarm or distress.

Judge Scott sentenced Salah to 44 weeks, suspended for two years, with rehabilitation requirements and 200 hours unpaid work.

Salah was ordered to sign the 𝑠e𝑥 offenders register and abide by the 𝑠e𝑥ual harm prevention order for ten years.