John Edward Kilgannon, 66, was found guilty of sexually assaulting three teenage girls on a bus.

Kilgannon, who sat behind his victims, would reach through the gap between the bus seats and "stroke" the girls on their sides for periods lasting up to 20 minutes. The offences occurred between October and November of last year on the Arriva bus service from Middlesbrough to Peterlee, County Durham.

One 17-year-old victim reported the assault to police, and CCTV evidence led to Kilgannon's arrest at his home in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham. He pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault in Teeside Magistrates Court.

Despite the seriousness of the offenses, Kilgannon was sentenced to a two-year community order and ordered to pay each victim £200 in compensation. Paul Harrison, chairman of the bench, stated that he took such matters "very seriously".

During the trial, it was revealed that Kilgannon had been drinking on each occasion and admitted that he stroked the girls "for his sexual pleasure". One victim said the assault had a "huge impact from a confidence point of view in terms of public transport", and she "felt uncomfortable" when men looked at her. The second victim missed several days of college and became "nervous around older men" following the attack.

Liz McGowan, Kilgannon's defense attorney, argued that her client was a man of previous good character and that alcohol had "lessened his inhibitions" on the bus. She added: "He tells me that drink is something that has lessened his inhibitions while on the bus. He's not saying it's solely the drink's fault. He's saying he did this for his own sexual pleasure. He is remorseful, he says that. He has not repeated his behaviour. For some unknown reason, he was bailed by police from November 26 until March 7 – almost four months – he's had this on his mind for all that time."