A NOTORIOUS sex pest known as Special Brew Sid who sexually assaulted a woman on a Christmas Eve train has had his prison sentence overturned.

Adam Richards, 48, was jailed for 26 weeks on December 4 for trying to kiss a terrified young woman on an early morning train with his trousers around his ankles.

Richards, who has 52 previous convictions for 90 offences, has now had the prison sentence overturned, and instead issued with a community order.

The father of the victim said: “We are totally distraught as we thought justice had been done.

“This makes a mockery of the whole system, no wonder women don’t report these things.”

Magistrates in Brighton told Richards, who earned his Special Brew Sid nickname over years of offending, he should use the prison sentence as time to reflect on his crimes.

The court heard how Richards sat down across from the woman and touched her on the thigh before following her through the carriages on the 15-minute journey.

As the train pulled into Brighton he waited behind her at the doors before lunging forward in an attempt to kiss her.

He denied sexual touching and attempted sexual touching, saying he was only being friendly when he sat down opposite the young woman and started trying to talk to her.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, gave evidence from behind a screen to shield her from Richards.

Her father said: “I had to encourage her to give evidence as she was so worried and was so relieved when he was sentenced.

“The man needs to be punished.”

The court was shown CCTV from inside the train carriage which showed Richards sitting down next to the young woman and later lunging toward her neck as they waited to get off the train.

The woman reported the assault as soon as she got to Brighton.

Richards, of St Pancras Road, Lewes, was found guilty of sexual touching and attempted sexual touching after a trial at Brighton Magistrates’ Court.

He admitted being very drunk before getting on the train and the court heard he had been prescribed anti-psychotic drugs after being diagnosed with schizophrenia.

He admitted having very little memory of the train journey.

The unnamed woman told magistrates during the trial: “He came to sit right in front of me and he was asking me loads of questions.

“He went to touch my leg, my thigh. He just touched it.”

The young woman demonstrated for magistrates where Richards put his hand before she brushed him off and moved away.

Richards followed her and the young woman said: “He just kept shouting stuff like ‘I want you’.”

“He started shouting that he wants me. He was about three rows in front of me.”