Locations
Arpley Street, Warrington, Cheshire, WA1
Description
A PERVERT has been locked up after performing a sex act on himself in plain sight of two young girls.
Jamie Scott looked directly at the teenagers as he exposed his penis within close proximity of a children’s play area in broad daylight.
The 35-year-old tried to minimise his actions and denied the offence, telling the courts how he was simply urinating in public.
However, a jury saw through his bluff and he was convicted of exposure and breaching his sexual harm prevention order, and he appeared to be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, November 18.
In summing up the facts of the case, judge Gary Woodhall explained how the offences occurred on the afternoon of May 17 this year.
Scott exposed his penis and performed a sex act on himself in Sankey Valley Park at around 3pm in plain sight of two young teenage girls.
The court heard how it was committed on a sunny day in a location frequented by children and dog walkers, as well as being near a children’s play area.
The defendant was looking directly at the girls while committing the sexual offence, and when they tried to film him to get evidence of the incident, he ran away.
Following his identification and arrest, he gave no comment to police during his interview.
In impact statements, one of the girls said she is reminded of the incident every time she walks through the park and how she is anxious and nervous when out alone.
She added that she no longer feels safe in public on her own and that the incident has affected her friendship with the other victim, who said the same.
The second girl spoke of her anger and frustration following the incident, which also made her no longer feel safe on her own.
Prosecutor Francis Dillon told the court how Scott tried to plead guilty on the basis that he exposed his penis to urinate rather than cause alarm or distress to other people in the vicinity.
This was rejected by the crown, which stated that his intention was to shock and receive sexual gratification from his actions.
The matter went to trial and Scott was convicted by a jury. The court heard how he is deemed to pose a high risk of committing sexual offences and that he continues to deny his guilt.
Mr Dillon revealed that the defendant has four previous convictions for nine offences, including spells in prison for previous exposure incidents and breaches of his sexual harm prevention order and sex offender notification requirements.
In defence of his client, Simeon Evans asked the court to suspend the inevitable prison sentence, pointing to the fact that he has already served six months in prison on remand.
He also spoke of how Scott, a trained engineer, has never had the benefit of any programmes to address the issues behind his offending, which was described as a ‘compulsion’.
Before sentencing, judge Woodhall said: “There is an entrenched pattern of you exposing your penis in public for your own sexual gratification.
“I am perfectly satisfied that this offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified.”
Scott, of Arpley Street in the town centre, was sentenced to 27 months in prison.
His sexual harm prevention order will continue to run, and he must abide by sex offender notification requirements for 10 years.