A 58-year-old Russian national has been convicted of three sexual offences against women on buses in Norwich, including masturbating beside one victim and touching two others without consent.
Vadims Osipovs, from Norwich, was found guilty by a jury at Norwich Crown Court after a trial in September. The jury of eight men and four women took just over two hours to reach its verdict on all three charges.
Details of the offences
Osipovs was accused of sexually assaulting two women on buses in Norwich on July 13 and August 31, 2023. Both assaults took place on separate journeys on the number 21 bus in the city.
He was also accused of masturbating beside a woman on the number 25 bus on July 1, 2025, an act that outraged public decency. The woman was left "upset and shocked" by what she had seen.
Prosecution case
Ian James, prosecuting, told the court that the women suffered "unwanted touching" by Osipovs, who touched "their thigh, bottom or boobs". He said: "They didn't consent to having their bodies touched by him."
Mr James said the reason Osipovs had touched the women "was obviously a sexual one" and added: "He was getting some sort of sexual gratification by touching these women, albeit fleeting. Putting it in a nutshell, the prosecution case is that Mr Osipovs is an opportunistic sex pest."
Sentencing and bail
Osipovs, who was represented by Jonathan Goodman and spoke through an interpreter, declined to give evidence in the trial. He was granted bail with the condition that he co-operate with probation for his pre-sentence report.
He will be sentenced on November 27 after being warned "all options", including custody, would be open to the court.
