A CROSS-dresser has been jailed for 15 months for two unprovoked late-night attacks on lone women.

Transvestite James Hicks stalked his victims along a picturesque riverside pathway before launching the vicious attacks.

He was only caught when he confessed in shame to his girlfriend after reading reports of the assaults on the Daily Echo's front page.

The attacks, which were not sexual in nature, took place within an hour of each other in November last year as the women were walking in the dark by the Itchen Navigation in Winchester.

Hicks grabbed a 20-year-old and forced her to the ground after picking her out as a victim just seconds before when he ran past her.

He repeatedly slammed the girl's head against the concrete floor, only releasing his hold when two passers-by spotted the pair struggling.

One of the walkers described how when they had shouted at him he had not even run off. She said he just "sloped off into the dark".

While the police were attending that crime scene, more screams were heard less than 100 yards away.

This time Hicks, 23, had picked on a 15-year-old schoolgirl who had just been dropped off by her mother on College Walk. She told officers she noticed Hicks looking at her and when she caught his eye he immediately crossed the road, grabbed her by the arms and started trying to kick her legs out from under her.

The teenager fought back and eventually Hicks, of St Cross Road, gave up and fled via the Water Meadows.

Winchester Crown Court heard that Hicks was bisexual and enjoyed dressing up and going out in women's clothes.

Hicks saw the Daily Echo's front page on the attacks and confessed to his girlfriend, who called the police.

He admitted what he had done and said he had done it because he was very drunk. In February this year he pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one count of common assault.

Judge John Dixon said: "These two attacks are described as worrying and frightening assaults and they represent behaviour that to my mind is cause for real concern.

"I'm not sure you understand even now the frightening effect on this young woman your actions have had, but what's worse is that within minutes you were stalking another girl.

"The real damage to both of these victims is the emotional and psychological harm you have inflicted."

Sentencing him to 15 months for the actual bodily harm and six months for the common assault, to run concurrently, the judge added: "People, and especially the women of Winchester, need to know that if you get drunk and behave in this way, that this behaviour will be punished, and prison is the necessary consequence of this sort of action."

Speaking after the sentencing, Det Con Steve Deeprose said: "This was a vicious and strange attack because it was so unprovoked, and as such it is very rare.

"It is fair to say that without the Daily Echo's front page report, Hicks might not have confessed and we would have had a much harder time catching him."

The 20-year-old victim added: "It all just happened so quickly. I was still at the scene with

the police when we heard his second victim screaming.

"I hate the idea of him doing this again and so I don't really know if 15 months is an appropriate sentence. I just hope he's never able to attack someone else."