A MAN who showed a woman a pornographic image on his phone before threatening her with a sexual attack in Bournemouth has been jailed.

Adam Michael Herbert approached his victim from behind while she was walking along a lane that runs parallel to the A338 between Queens Park Road and the Springbourne roundabout at around 6pm on December 20, 2019.

He showed the woman, who is aged in her 20s, the image on his mobile and then issued the threat of attacking her.

The woman screamed and went to run away but Herbert, aged 32, kicked her legs as she did so, causing her to stumble.

Her screaming prompted a member of the public walking nearby to enter the lane to investigate, he saw a man standing over the woman and the man then ran off in the direction of the Springbourne roundabout.

Following extensive CCTV enquiries by officers, Herbert was identified and was arrested in Bournemouth on January 8. He was subsequently identified by the victim through an identification procedure

Herbert, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to a total of 31 months in prison at Bournemouth Crown Court on Tuesday, April 14. He had admitted committing an offence, namely assault by beating, with the intention of committing a sexual offence as well as a charge of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intention to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

He also admitted an offence relating to an incident that occurred between 11pm and midnight on August 16, 2019, where a woman aged in her 20s was walking in the area of Wimborne Road in Winton and was approached by a man on a bicycle, who put his phone in front of her face and on the screen a pornographic video was playing.

Herbert was arrested in connection with the Wimborne Road incident on January 31 following enquiries and again the victim positively identified the defendant in an identification procedure.

DC Rachel Gill, of Bournemouth CID, said: “These must have been very distressing incidents for the young women involved and I would like to praise them for their courage in coming forward to report them to us and supporting our investigation so Adam Herbert could be held accountable for his actions.

“I am glad that through our investigation we were able to identify Herbert as the man responsible for these disturbing offences and bring him before the court to face justice.”