A man has been jailed after aiding the sexual assault of a 12-year-old schoolgirl and assaulting his former girlfriend.

Lawrence Waldock, of no fixed address, was handed a 22-week prison sentence at Stevenage Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Wednesday, for the two offences which both happened in Letchworth.

The first, on April 7, involves a girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons. She was walking home down an alleyway when Waldock, along with John Seabrook cornered her.

Seabrook, 58, who pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing and was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison in April, grabbed the girl’s right arm and kissed it while Waldock blocked her from going any further down the path.

In a statement by the girl read out in court by prosecutor Rafia Khatun, she said: “Johnny grabbed my arm then tried to kiss it and the other man blocked me from getting any further. Johnny then said ‘you’re beautiful aren’t you. I bet I can guess your age, you’re 15.’”

She said Waldock, 38, was laughing while Seabrook sexually assaulted her and that they “looked at her like a piece of meat” and thought she was going to be raped.

The girl managed to break free and ran home while the pair wolf whistled and jeered her.

Waldock pleaded not guilty to aiding a sexual assault but was found guilty at the court after a trial on August 1.

Magistrate Leah Bretton said: “This was an extremely serious offence that was carried out by two grown men on a young girl. For this we are going to sentence you to 18 weeks in prison.”

Waldock was also given a four-week prison sentence to run consecutively for assaulting his ex-partner Claire Elliott in Letchworth on June 1.

Mrs Bretton ordered Waldock to sign the sex offenders register for seven years, placed an indefinite restraining order on him contacting the 12-year-old and a six-month restraining order on contacting Ms Elliott.