Man who sexually assaulted two girls jailed

Reinaldo Goncalo Bertoni Filho has been jailed for nine years

A man who sexually assaulted two young girls in Surrey in 2017 has been jailed.

Reinaldo Goncalo Bertoni Filho pleaded guilty to sexual assault by penetration and was found guilty of sexual assault on a child under 13 years.

The 42-year-old was arrested after applying for a job at the British Transport Police (BTP) when asked for a DNA sample as part of the vetting process, which matched DNA obtained following the two attacks.

At Croydon Crown Court on Friday, he was sentenced to nine years in prison.

A 15-year-old girl was cycling on her own in Ewell in July 2017 when Filho cornered her and pushed her to the ground, the court was told.

The victim bit Filho on the elbow and scratched his face which caused him to run off.

A male DNA profile was obtained from her clothing and uploaded to the National DNA Database.

Two months later, a 10-year-old girl was walking alone in Claygate when Filho pinned her against a tree and sexually assaulted her.

The court heard the victim managed to kick Filho in the stomach and run away, before telling her friend about the incident.

The friend drove around and confronted Filho, punching him and knocking an ear bud out of his ear.

DNA taken from the ear bud matched DNA recovered from the first offence and the sample that Filho provided to the BTP in September 2024, and he was subsequently arrested.

'Heinous offences'

Filho, from London, was jailed and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

He will also be placed on the Sex Offenders Register upon release.

Det Sgt Adele Robertson said: "I would like to pay tribute to both victims, who were children at the time these heinous offences took place, for their bravery and coming forward and reporting what they had been subjected to.

"Filho was a dangerous sexual predator who targeted young girls on their own in isolated areas with the sole purpose of committing a sexual offence against them."