A SEX offender who grabbed a 15-year-old girl in Stalham and sexually assaulted her after making her go back to his flat was yesterday jailed for 21 months and placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

A SEX offender who grabbed a 15-year-old girl in Stalham and sexually assaulted her after making her go back to his flat was yesterday jailed for 21 months and placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Alan Hitchen, 46, who was described as being of “high risk of harm to children”, was also made subject to a sexual offences prevention order under which he must not have any unsupervised contact with anyone under 16.

He was also banned for life from ever working with children.

Norwich Crown Court heard that Hitchen already had two previous convictions for sex offences.

In 1994 he was jailed for 14 months for an indecent assault on a young girl and in 2005 he was a passenger on a train when he tried to touch a woman's breast and kiss her.

In this latest offence the court heard that Hitchen had grabbed the 15-year-old girl by the wrist and made her return to his flat.

The girl had been unable to pull away from him and he tried to sexually touch her and put his hand up her skirt but she managed to pull away.

He also tried to kiss her but again she pulled away and managed to escape.

Hitchen, of Allen Meale Way, Stalham, admitted sexual activity with a child.

Jailing him, Judge Simon Barham said it must have been a very frightening experience for the girl. He said a report had concluded that Hitchen was of high risk of harm to children.

Michael Clare, mitigating, said that no physical injury was caused to the victim and no violence had been used by Hitchen.