A 15-year-old boy who admitted stalking and molesting a woman in the middle of Hamilton was sentenced to 100 hours of community service yesterday.

The Pembroke youngster and his 17-year-old friend, Joeshon Russell, squeezed the 25-year-old woman's bottom and shoved their hands up her skirt, Magistrates' Court heard during their trial last month.

The indecent assault occurred at about 11 p.m. on August 28 outside the Par-La-Ville parking lot.

Russell told Police he and his friend would have grabbed at any woman who happened to walk by them, Prosecutor Insp. Peter Duffy said.

He told the court the teenagers, who began stalking the woman on Richmond Road, repeatedly asked her, in an obscene manner, if she had ever had sex with a black man and if she would like to try it. Despite her requests to be left alone, they began to grab at her.

The woman hit out at them and ran towards the Esso gas station. Believing the boys had gone, she continued walking towards Reid Street where she was meeting friends, Insp. Duffy said.

But she was again confronted by them outside Par-La-Ville parking lot where they molested her.

She managed to get away from her attackers once she reached brightly lit Queen Street and called the Police from her Reid Street destination, the prosecutor said.

Acting on descriptions provided, Police took Russell in for questioning where he admitted the crime, saying "it was fun'' and he had been "in a good mood''.

Social inquiry reports were ordered for both teenagers.

Senior Magistrate the Wor. Will Francis sentenced Russell to 18 months probation yesterday.

And he sentenced the 15-year-old, who had spent two weeks at the Co-Ed facility awaiting sentencing, to 100 hours of community service.

Mr. Francis warned the boy if he did not cooperate he would most likely decide to lock him up for a period of corrective training.

He told him he had taken into account his age, the time he spent in custody, the social inquiry report and the fact alcohol was involved.