A teenager who immigrated to Australia from Afghanistan has escaped jail after a series of sex attacks because he grew up in a different culture.

The court heard the teenager, who cannot be named, pleaded guilty to assaulting eight women and girls on a Surfers Paradise beach in January 2016.

The teenager pleaded guilty to assaulting eight women and girls on a Surfers Paradise beach. Picture: 7 News More

The judge accepted that seeing girls in bikinis is different to the environment in which he grew up.

The teen, who lives in Victoria, is now on two years probation with no conviction.

Today's top news stories - April 27