A serial sex offender was jailed for 15 months after he admitted a string of crimes against women.Gregory Scott pleaded guilty at Magistrates’ Court on Friday to a sex assault and intrusion on the privacy of several women.Juan Wolffe, the senior magistrate, said that the courts had to send a clear message to protect women from predators.He added: “It should be noted that offences against women, including those of a sexual nature, are prevalent and serious and therefore any sentence imposed on offenders should reflect that.“It is imperative that the court system send an unequivocal message to offenders and would-be offenders that such conduct would not be tolerated by the court. Women must be able to freely walk on our streets without any fear that they will be verbally or physically accosted by anyone.”Scott, 29, from Warwick, admitted that he grabbed a woman by the buttocks on March 6 last year after he made lewd comments to her.He also admitted that he followed a woman through Hamilton for 20 minutes in October 2018 and exposed himself to another woman about a week later.None of the victims can be identified for legal reasons. The court heard that Scott was also convicted of intrusion on the privacy of a 15-year-old girl on a bus in 2016. Scott touched the schoolgirl’s arm and made lewd remarks. Mr Wolffe said that, though he understood that Scott had mental health problems, it did not “render him totally blameless or less culpable.”He added: “While there may have been some impulse control issues, his words and actions on the relevant dates suggest some lucidity in his thought.”Mr Wolffe ordered that Scott should serve two years’ probation after release from jail and that his name should be added to the sex offenders’ register.He warned Scott he had to get psychiatric help, avoid drugs and alcohol, visit court services when required and submit to random drug tests while on probation. Time spent in custody will also be taken into account.• It is The Royal Gazette’s policy not to allow comments on stories regarding court cases. As we are legally liable for any libellous or defamatory comments made on our website, this move is for our protection as well as that of our readers.