A WOMAN walking with her three young children at a Bromsgrove beauty spot was terrified when she was surrounded by three men, Worcester Crown Court heard.

The three men, who had been drinking, pressed closed to the woman who was walking on the Lickey Hills and asked if she would follow them into the undergrowth “to have fun”, said Tariq Shakoor, prosecuting.

She made an excuse that her husband was nearby before gathering up her children, aged six, four and one, and going for help at a nearby park-keeper’s hut.

Police soon arrived at the scene and were able to arrest the three men, all from Birmingham. They were convicted of sexual assault after a trial.

Recorder Richard Atkins QC said the ringleader was 19-year-old Jayden Harris, of Sorrell Drive, who was sent to a Young Offenders Institution for two and a half years.

David Jenkins, 23, of Acorn Grove, was jailed for two years, including two months for failing to answer to bail and turn up for his trial.

Philip Brown, 24, of Cherrywood Road, who had tried to step away from the confrontation, was jailed for 20 months.

All three had lists of previous convictions but had taken advantage of a vulnerable woman at the beauty spot in May this year.

An impact statement read to the court showed that the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, still felt disturbed and insecure. She felt vulnerable even in public places and still had trouble sleeping.

The Recorder said she was alone with her small children and must have been terrified when she was surrounded by three men who had obviously been drinking. If she had gone with them into the bushes she was likely to have been subjected to sexual activity.