Albanian man jailed for sex attacks on buses

Updated

An Albanian man has been jailed after admitting a series of sexual attacks against women and at least one teenager on buses in east London.

Giorge Zhukas, 47, sexually assaulted nine females on buses in Walthamstow and Ilford between August 11 and October 16 last year, Scotland Yard said.

One of his victims was a 13-year-old girl, while the oldest was 43.

He was arrested on October 20 after police identified him from CCTV footage on one of the buses.

In four of the offences the quality of the CCTV was so high that the Crown Prosecution Service authorised charging, even though victims had not been identified.

Zhukas, of no fixed abode, was jailed for 18 months at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to nine counts of sexual assault on buses in Waltham Forest and Redbridge, the Met said.

He was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years and was told he would be deported after serving his sentence.

Detective Superintendent Adnan Qureshi commended the victims' courage in reporting the crimes.

He said: "Thanks to their selfless actions, this despicable individual has received a lengthy prison sentence and deportation upon his release, which I hope reassures others to come forward in similar circumstances with information that can assist with a conviction."

Siwan Hayward, Transport for London's deputy director of enforcement and on-street operations, added: "We care about our passengers and every journey they make on our transport network. We, alongside the police, are committed to tackling any form of unwanted sexual behaviour on our network."

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