Kevin DopsonWILTSHIRE TIMES EXCLUSIVE: A PARANOID schizophrenic with a history of preying on teenage girls has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two young women within the space of a few minutes in Trowbridge.

Kevin Dopson, 26, was also found guilty of assaulting a third girl half-an-hour later on March 11 2004.

After his three-day trial ended at Swindon Crown Court on Wednesday, it was revealed Dopson had been arrested for molesting a 15-year-old girl in Trowbridge two years ago, but was not charged because he was considered to be mentally ill.

Police said they could not comment on previous offences, but DC Neil Le'Maire said: "The right decision was made by the court. He has a history of mental illness and the court would have taken that into account."

The mother of one of the victims, who was attacked in an alleyway next to The John of Gaunt School, said: "We hope he gets jailed for a long time as someone like that should not be allowed to walk free. The police let him go because they thought he was safe but he obviously wasn't."

Ian Dixey, prosecuting, said the 17-year-old girl was walking along the alleyway at 12.40pm when Dopson grabbed her wrist and pushed her against some railings.

Putting his hand over her mouth, Dopson pulled on the belt on her jeans but let her go after two boys walked down the alleyway.

The girl walked a few yards with the boys before turning around, thinking her attacker had gone.

But Dopson grabbed her from behind and sexually assaulted her again. The girl ran to a nearby house, but left her bag and a trainer behind.

Dopsons second victim, a 20-year-old woman, was walking down Pitman Avenue and saw part of the first attack. She was grabbed from behind, lifted up and pushed against the fence by Dopson.

She managed to break free and run into Gloucester Road, but he grabbed her again and pushed himself against her from behind.

She said: I was telling him to just please leave me alone and that I had to get back to work. I was absolutely terrified.

The third attack, on an 18-year-old girl, took place in The Shires shopping centre. Dopson grabbed her elbow but after she told him to leave her alone, he did.

Dopson, who since being arrested has been living at Sandalwood Court, a secure mental health institution near Swindon, denied all three charges, claiming he had accidentally brushed hands with the 17-year-old before pushing the second woman because she called him a jerk. He said he grabbed the third girl by accident as he lost his balance.

The jury returned guilty verdicts on two counts of indecent assault and one of common assault.

Dopson was released on conditional bail and will be sentenced at a later date.