A bank robber who slapped a prison officer on the bottom will not face any further sanction - unless he breaks the law in the next 12 months.

Nathan Lewis-Croft, 25, who is a prisoner at The Mount in Bovingdon, was given a conditional discharge after appearing at St Albans Crown Court on Friday.

The court heard Lewis-Croft, who is currently being detained in a mental health unit, slapped an officer on the bottom as she searched his cell on December 16 2017.

Prosecutor Terence Woods said: “She said she would report him. She said it did not upset her, but it was wrong, and that is why she reported it.”

Lewis-Croft, formerly of The Moakes, Luton, previously admitted sexual assault and appeared in court on Friday for sentencing.

Judge Richard Foster said: "He (Lewis-Croft) is not well and needs on-going treatment." The judge gave Lewis-Croft a 12 month conditional discharge and said he must register as a sex offender for the next 12 months.

Lewis-Croft is currently serving a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence after he was convicted of robbery at a HSBC bank in Dunstable in 2016.