A YOUNG woman was sexually assaulted by a man on a bike in the street - who then laughed at her as she screamed in fear.

The victim was walking down Ghyllgrove, in Basildon, at roughly 6pm on Wednesday when a man rode past and grabbed her bottom.

She immediately began to shout but the culprit laughed and rode off, while her boyfriend, who had been walking slightly further ahead, attempted to chase the man.

The cyclist managed to flee the scene.

The incident is strikingly similar to a series of sexual assaults in Basildon in November 2018, which saw ten woman come forward to say they had been groped and “slapped on the bum” by a cyclist who rode past them in Basildon.

This sparked a manhunt by Essex Police, which issued a stark warning to woman to be wary when out in Basildon - with police confirming no arrests were made in relation to the incidents.

The victim’s boyfriend posted on Facebook shortly after the incident. It has been shared more than 100 times and had more than 100 comments.

The victim, who will remain anonymous due to the nature of the incident, said: “I was walking down Ghyllgrove and my boyfriend was ahead of me as we were arguing and then all of a sudden I’ve felt someone grab my bum hard and then rode off.

“As they where riding off I was shouting at him, he just laughed and I screamed my boyfriend's name. My boyfriend then ran after him but the guy was too quick.

“But the guy was in a black puffer jacket and my boyfriend said he was on a black bike.”

The woman admitted she had been “left shaken” by the incident.

Her boyfriend added: “I saw a man on a bike positioned as if he was trying to block her direction of running. He saw me and rode off.

“The man was on a black bike with a bag over his seat, he was hooded with either a man bag or a handbag he was carrying.

“I thought I saw the same man on Little Bentley about five minutes beforehand.

“My girlfriend was running up the path traumatised towards me. I tried to chase the guy but he was gone by the time I looked what way he went.

“She told me that he groped her as he road past and laughed when she screamed. He went either through to The Gore or into Gloucester Park.”

Can Essex Police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 with information.