Man is guilty of assault on girls (From Worcester News)

Man is guilty of assault on girls

6:20pm Saturday 15th September 2012 in News

A MAN who was accused of sexually assaulting young girls in Worcester city centre over a two-week period has been convicted and is in prison awaiting sentence.

A jury of 11 women and one man found 25 year old Rubio Costa guilty on three charges, but acquitted him on four others. He will return to Worcester Crown Court in the week beginning September 24 for sentence.

Costa, of Broad Street, Worcester, who was from Portugal and Angola, has been in this country since January and said he was hoping to learn the language and became on electrician.

But in March it was alleged that he approached teenagers in the CrownGate shopping centre, the Cathedral Close and by Foregate Street railway station.

The victims, aged between 15 and 17, included a schoolgirl and two college students. Costa was said to have hugged, kissed and touched them without their consent. He claimed that he was simply trying to make friends and learn the language.

Prosecutor Jason Pegg said that Costa had a conviction in Portugal for robbery in 2007.

There was also an alleged conviction for sexual coercion in 2007, but there were no details.

Judge John Cavell said he wanted details of the latter case before sentencing and asked for them to be faxed from Portugal. He also ordered a pre-sentence report and said that Costa, who has already spent 168 days in custody, should register as a sex offender.