A bridegroom from the Black Country who stalked and sexually assaulted a woman on his stag night has been jailed for seven years.

Louis Palmer, 33, of Brierley Hill, was out with friends for his stag do in Bournemouth when he became separated from the group at 4am on July 5 last year.

The court saw CCTV footage which showed him following his 30-year-old victim as she walked through the seaside town alone.

The victim told Bournemouth Crown Court that he grabbed hold of her, pushed her against a wall and sexually assaulted her before punching her in the face.

Palmer was arrested the next day and he told the trial that he thought the encounter was going to be a "five-second fumble" and he had hit his victim because she became "hysterical".

DS Phil Swanton, of Dorset Police, said: "This was a despicable attack on a lone female and I am pleased with the verdict.

"Mr Palmer stalked the victim for just under a mile before attacking her and is clearly a very dangerous sexual predator."

As well as the jail sentence, Palmer, a builder, was ordered by Judge Roger Jarvis to sign the sex offenders register.

Palmer went on to marry his fiancee Amanda Conway, who supported him in court and who burst into tears when her husband was found guilty and jailed.