AN ECCENTRIC Italian from Erith who laughed as a court heard how he tried to lick a commuter's ankles could have the smile wiped off his face with a jail sentence.

Carlos Spigno, 50, of Blyth House, MacArthur Close, rubbed the train passenger's feet ignoring her pleas to stop.

He lurched forward to lick her ankles then thrust his hand up her skirt.

It was only when the woman hit him and threatened to call the police that Spigno ran off, clutching his bottles of wine and brandy.

He insisted the woman had allowed him to fondle her feet but was convicted by the jury at Blackfriars Crown Court.

Spigno had infuriated Judge Peter Clarke by turning up an hour late for court and blamed 'the wind' for slowing down his bicycle.

When his offence was being described Spigno yelled: 'All this talk is not relevant' and was told he would be sent to the cells if his outbursts continued.

The court heard his victim was travelling towards Charing Cross station from a house viewing in Peckham when she put her feet up on the seat opposite.

Spigno stumbled into the carriage to sit opposite her and started hurling 'obnoxious and drunken' abuse when she said she was from Wales.

The 'overt and sinister' touching began after another female passenger left the train.

He started to rub her leg around the ankles and then moved towards her skirt.

The Italian fled at Waterloo East station but was later arrested for the sexual assault.

Spigno admitted he did touch the woman's leg but insisted it was consensual.

He was found guilty of two charges of sexual assault after the jury deliberated for over eight hours.

After the jury's verdict the judge ordered a psychiatric report on Spigno.

He said: 'The effects on the complainant have been continuing as she went through an ordeal.

‘Spigno was chuckling through most of the evidence and was making noise through the victim’s evidence.

'Luckily for him he has many supporters but the fact his sober behaviour makes me quiver, I don't want to know what his drunken behaviour must be like.

'The fact that he acknowledges he has problems, I find it difficult to find any deep malice in him and I feel like he doesn't realise how much damage he can do.

'It doesn't do him a great service and I feel like I am sentencing a man who is very weak and not very wicked.

'He will be granted bail until the sentencing, where a custodial sentence is a possibility.'

Judge Clarke told Spigno: 'I really do fear that you still have not come to terms with your actions, particularly when you're drunk.

'I'm concerned by what you said that it was not a sexual assault and only a little touch.'

At this point, Spigno tried to interject but the judge told him: 'For your own benefit, I would really shut up.'

The Italian will have to sign the Sex Offenders Register even though he has not been sentenced as he has been found guilty of a sexual assault.

He will be sentenced at the same court on July 12.