'Rush hour prowler', 51, who groped girls as young as eight revealed as wealthy businessman

A wealthy businessman has admitted a string of sexual assaults against schoolgirls as young as eight after being exposed as the ‘Rush Hour Prowler’.

Former nightclub manager Kevin Bond, 51, carried out a string of similar attacks, pouncing on unsuspecting victims during busy commuter hours.

On one day he assaulted a 13 year old and two women in their twenties in just 35 minutes.

Sexual predator Bond, who previously ran his own management consultancy, denied carrying out his year-long campaign until detectives lined up his victims for an ID parade.

He faces jail after pleading guilty to 11 counts of sexual assault and three of sexual assault of a child at Woolwich Crown Court.

Detectives today appealed for more of his victims to come forward after linking him with 26 attacks mainly taking place between 7am and 9am and 4pm and 6pm.

Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Furphy, who led the investigation for Lewisham police, said: ‘We are aware that there might be further victims who have not yet spoken to police.

‘If you are a victim, or know someone who has been a victim of a sexual assault, I can assure you your information will be treated with strict confidence and sensitivity and we can also access specialist support where needed.’

A previous court hearing was told Bond, of Chislehurst, south-east London, was arrested in January over a string of sexual assaults dating from October 2016 to November 2017.

Police were granted more time to question him over 24 sex attacks on schoolgirls and young women after he denied two charges of sexual assaults at Bromley Magistrates Court.

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Prosecutor Maxine Channer-McDaniel told the court: ‘The two offences charged relate to two children aged 13 and 14.

‘The case is the targeting of school girls and there are two charges in an ongoing investigation, where there are 26 independent separate incidents with strikingly similar accounts of similar sexual assaults.

‘Two charges have been authorised however the case is still under investigation.’

Bond was later charged and denied a further four offences which happened between June and November last year at another hearing.

The court heard how his young victims fought off Bond’s attacks.

On June 30th at 8:20am the teenager was walking to school and the suspect was walking towards her, and as he walked passed her, he placed his hands between her legs.

On on October 5 at 9:20am in Kidbrooke Park Road, Kidbrooke, outside Thomas Tallis School, another 13-year-old victim was walking to school with her friend.

The prosecutor said: ‘She saw the defendant walking towards her and as he walked passed her he reached his hand toward the top of the stomach and crotch area.’

The prosecutor said their was a use of violence in the offences and a ‘degree of planning as they were committed at specific times of day’.

He was finally captured in January after being identified from CCTV footage showing him fleeing the scene of one of the attacks.

In a bid to snare him, police released CCTV showing him fleeing an attack on a 15-year-old girl in Brockley at around 8.30am on November 22 last year.

Bond was remanded in custody to appear before Woolwich Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to 14 separate charges dating from October 6 2016 to November 22 2017 on Friday.

After the hearing, Radhia Karaa, District Crown Prosecutor at CPS London South, said: ‘Kevin Bond carried out a series of sexual assaults on young women including children in south-east London.

‘The prosecution case built against him included a range of evidence such as witness accounts and CCTV footage.

‘I hope this conviction brings some closure to his victims.’