November 2010 Tights-fetish bus pervert spared jail for groping girls A prolific pervert who targeted schoolgirls on buses has escaped jail. Ke Li, 19, left his three victims terrified after he followed them on board, sat next to them and then rubbed their thighs. The 6ft 5 straight-A’s physics student was given a community order at Trafford magistrates court after pleading guilty to three counts of sexual assault. Police believe there may be dozens more victims after he admitted in interviews he had been carrying out the attacks for five years. Li, of Parkgate Road, Timperley, struck twice in February. In each case he sat next to his victims and touched their thighs. They were too scared to confront him. But all three reported Li to the police, while one managed to take a picture of him on her mobile phone, Jo Palmiero, prosecuting, said. Officers studied the picture and CCTV footage from the buses before swooping on Li, who is studying at Manchester University. Bryan McMahon, defending, told the court Li had a tights fetish. He said Li was ‘socially immature’ and said the lack of a ‘no’ from the victims gave him the misapprehension he had been given consent. Mr McMahon said it was Li’s first offence and added that the piano-playing former Sale Grammar School pupil had a bright future ahead of him. Li, whose parents were in court, told the magistrates he was sorry for his actions and that he had sought counselling. He said: “If you give me a second chance I’ll make sure I don’t do it again.” Li was sentenced to 180 hours of one-to-one work, ordered to attend a sex offenders’ treatment programme and told to pay £75 costs. Chair of the bench Andrew Bowen told him: “This is quite clearly a crossroads in your life. You will get support and this is the way forward. You should take it and do everything you can to prevent a reoccurrence.” Li will also be made to sign the sex offenders register. Detective Constable Jon Weir said: “During his police interviews, Li admitted that he had been doing this to schoolgirls and women regularly for the last four or five years. Unfortunately, we have not been able to find any other incidents that were reported to us, and it may be the case that many of the victims thought it too minor an incident to report to the police.” Anyone who believes they have been subjected to a sexual assault in similar circumstances should call police on 0161 872 5050 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.