ST ALBANS: A 12-year-old schoolboy who sexually assaulted two women in their early 20s was caught when they recognised his uniform.

The boy, now aged 13, approached the women and said things like “you are cute” and “can I have a hug?” before grabbing their breasts and running away.

At St Albans Magistrates Court, sitting as a juvenile court on Wednesday, the boy admitted committing two sexual assaults in Hatfield Road, near the junction with Sandfield Road on Monday, July 7, and Wednesday, July 16.

The boy denied assaulting another woman, and the matter was not proceeded with by the prosecution in light of the two guilty pleas.

When police interviewed the boy, who was identified by the women, he initially denied the allegations, saying he was on the way to the mosque at the time.

Dan Green, for the defence, said the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was capable of knowing what he did was wrong, but had difficulty suppressing his sexual urges.

Mr Green said: “He is able to understand what he has done, but his biological urges are more advanced than he has the mental capacity to deal with. But when he is told he has done wrong he knows that he has.”

District Judge Alison adjourned the case for sentence until Thursday, July 9, to enable the boy to be interviewed by the youth offending team (YOT).

She said: “There are only one or two options available. There are certain measures in place with the school at the moment, but whether they are sufficient or not to satisfy the court needs to be fully documented by a report from the youth offending team.”