Groping bus pervert rumbled by CCTV footage – after wife shops him to cops

A PERVERT who followed a stranger off a bus and groped her was rumbled by police after his wife dobbed him in.

   RUMBLED: The wife of Donald MacInness recognised his CCTV image

Donald MacInness, 50, befriended the vulnerable victim and brazenly fondled her breasts outside her home in daylight.

But his wife of sixteen years reported him to police after recognising a CCTV grab of his mug in the local paper.

The painter and decorator asked the woman "do I know you?" on the bus to which she replied "I'm just friends with everyone".

MacIness' lawyer Phillipa Wylie told a court: "Part of her condition is that she can come across as very friendly."

   AWAITING FATE: MacInness will be sentenced at Sunderland Magistrates' 

   Court on March 15

MacInness tracked her back to her home and while up against a wall, he put his hands over the top of her clothing and moved them up her stomach and breasts.

He was foiled however when a passerby shouted at the opportunist.

A CCTV grab was printed in local rag – the Sunderland Echo – and his wife soon recognised him.

The offender, who lives in a bedsit in Tatham Street, Sunderland, initially denied sexual assault but confessed on the first day of his trial.

Prosecutor Louise Harrison said: "This was a stranger. He has followed her off the bus and confronted her. I appreciate this was quite a frightening situation for her.

"This complainant is vulnerable due to her personal circumstances."

   APOLOGETIC: MacIness' lawyer said he was appalled at his behaviour

Ms Wylie said he was drunk during the incident in October, adding: "He is utterly horrified by his behaviour.

"He is very remorseful for his actions and he wants to make it quite clear to the court and to her that he meant no distress or harm to her.

"He accepts that alcohol has always been a problem for him and he accepts it will have been distressing for the lady.

"It has had a devastating impact on his own personal life.

"He lost his family life. He's lost the family home. It's had a detrimental impact on his mental health and his drinking."

Sunderland Magistrates' Court released him on bail – so long as he does not talk to witnesses or his estranged wife – for sentencing on March 15.