Man who approached girls and sniffed their feet sentenced after DNA found on shoelace of victim
The DNA of Alexander Scott-Bowen was found on the shoelace of one of his victim’s trainers.
A man who had a trove of foot fetish material on his phone has been sentenced and added to the Sex Offenders Register after a string of incidents where he approached young girls and asked to sniff their feet for his own "sexual gratification".
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Alexander Scott-Bowen, 24, of Kingswood, Gloucestershire, admitted seven counts of sexual assault at Briston Crown Court on Friday.
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.
An investigation was launched by Avon & Somerset Police 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 March 2025, police then received two more reports from young girls being stopped in Kingswood in similar circumstances to the 2022 incidents.
A police investigation was launched and Scott-Bowen was identified as a new suspect.He was also later linked to the 2022 incidents.
He was arrested in March 2025, interviewed, and bailed while officers continued to carry out their enquiries and gather evidence.
While out on police bail, further reports were made to the force.
These included 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.
Officers linked Scott-Bowen 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. Scott-Bowen 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.
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.
'Considerable distress'
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.”