Locations
Station Road, Crumpsall, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M8
Description
A pervert dropped his pants and performed a sex act in front of a horrified schoolgirl. Martin Lawless, 67, committed the vile crime in front of the nine-year-old child as she stood outside her home with a friend.
He then rode off on his bike but was detained by members of the public days later. Serial sex offender Lawless, from Crumpsall, has been locked up for two years after admitting outraging public decency.
Manchester Crown Court heard that Lawless was on his bike on a Sunday afternoon before pulling over and approaching the children. He then exposed himself 'for a number of minutes' and started performing a sex act, at about 4.30pm on February 19.
Lawless then rode off on his bike, as the children told their parents about what they'd been subjected to. "A nine-year-old facing and witnessing what she did would certainly suffer distress," judge Elizabeth Nicholls said during Lawless's sentencing hearing.
A few weeks later, on March 12, the father of one of the children saw Lawless and members of the public detained him before the police were called to arrest him. When questioned by officers he admitted what he'd done, and claimed he'd confessed because he 'didn't wish for the children to be caused any further distress'.
Lawless has 34 previous convictions from 84 offences, 24 of which related to sexual offences, prosecutor Alison Whalley said. His latest conviction meant he was in breach of a sexual harm prevention order, which banned him from contacting or being in company with children under 16.
Defending, Eleanor Gleeson said Lawless had been on medication at the time, and had mixed tramadol with alcohol. "That clearly had an impact upon him which lowered his inhibitions, which he says caused him to do what he did that day," she said.
Jailing Lawless, the judge added: "The public need protection and the only way that protection can be manifest is by a prison sentence." Lawless, formerly of Station Road, Crumpsall, admitted outraging public decency and being in breach of a sexual harm prevention order.