Man sentenced for approaching girls and sniffing their feet

A 24-year-old man who approached young girls and asked to sniff their feet in Yate has been sentenced.

Alexander Scott-Bowen, of Kingswood, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Friday (11 September) for seven counts of sexual assault.

We launched an investigation in 2022 following reports of a man accosting three young girls in Yate and was sniffing and touching their feet in January, March and May.

A media appeal including an e-fit was released where, despite possible suspects being identified, there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone in connection with the incident and the case had to be filed pending further reports or evidence.

In March 2025, we received two more reports from young girls being stopped in Kingswood in similar circumstances to the 2022 incidents.

A police investigation was launched and a new suspect was identified as Scott-Bowen, who was later linked to the 2022 incidents.

He was arrested on 11 March 2025, interviewed, and bailed while officers continued to carry out their enquiries and gather evidence.

While out on police bail, we received two further reports regarding two girls being approached in Cribbs Causeway on New Year’s Eve in 2025 and a woman being approached in Stoke Gifford on 21 January this year in a similar manner.

He was re-arrested three days after these incidents and the Crown Prosecution Service granted seven charges of sexual assault against seven victims. He was remanded into custody where he has remained.

In all incidents, Scott-Bowen would approach his victims, engage them in an innocuous conversation about their feet or shoes, often paying them compliments, before swiftly grabbing their foot and sniffing it.

Through our investigation, officers were able to link Scott-Bowden to the 2022 Yate incidents as he lived in the area at the time and, upon his arrest in 2025, distinctive clothes matching a description from one victim were located.

However, more evidence was required to link Scott-Bowen to the incident.

Following his initial arrest in 2025, his DNA was obtained and was found on the shoelace of one of the 2022 victim’s trainers.

He was then linked to one of the 2025 incidents when one of the victims positively identified him as their attacker. He was also captured on doorbell footage walking alongside the victim down the street.

When he was arrested for the final time in January 2026, his mobile phone was seized and, during a forensic examination, material indicative of a foot fetish was located on his phone.

He was brought before the court on 6 July this year where he entered guilty pleas to all counts against all seven victims and was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court yesterday.

During the sentencing hearing, Scott-Bowen was sentenced to 38 weeks in prison, however as he has been on remand since January this year, he has been released as the custody-period has been served.

A 10-year-long Sexual Harm Prevention Order was also granted and he has been added to the Sex Offenders Register for the next 10 years.

Det Sgt Mike Coleman said: “These attacks caused considerable distress to the victims and the wider community and we are pleased Scott-Bowen has been sentenced for these crimes.

“Throughout this investigation, we were clear in our mindset to view these incidents for what they really were – a series of sexual attacks against predominantly young girls.

“Scott-Bowen carried out his offending over a long period of time and was not even deterred by being arrested and released with bail conditions, as he went on to commit further offences.

“In pleading guilty in the face of the substantial evidence presented, he has accepted that his motives for all these attacks was his own sexual gratification.

“We want to thank and recognise the brave victims who came forward, especially those from the 2022 incident who all positively re-engage when we contact them to inform them their cases were being re-opened.”