KENNETH MACLEAN'S SHOCKING CRIME IN COVENTRY: SEXUAL PEST BEHAVIOR ON SEDGMOOR ROAD AND SUNNYBANK AVENUE

In a disturbing incident that has left the local community in Coventry deeply unsettled, Kenneth Maclean, a 57-year-old man with no fixed address, was sentenced to prison after committing a series of indecent acts in front of young girls during their paper round. The events unfolded on August 6 of the previous year, along Sedgmoor Road and in the vicinity of Toll Bar End, where the victims, three teenage girls, were simply going about their routine chores.

The court heard that Maclean had been following the girls as they carried out their paper delivery, and at one point, he performed an indecent act directly in front of them. The girls, visibly shocked and frightened, were in the process of walking along Sedgmoor Road when they encountered Maclean. The situation escalated when the girls decided to seek refuge in a nearby shop on Sunnybank Avenue to escape his unwanted attention. While inside, they observed Maclean approaching again, attempting to engage them by offering a high-five, which they refused.

After leaving the shop, the girls continued their walk, only to hear Maclean shouting ‘sexy girls’ at them while on crutches nearby. The distressing behavior did not stop there. Maclean then performed another sexual act in front of the girls, making sexual noises and gestures, further terrifying the young victims. The girls managed to hide and wait until Maclean left the area, but their ordeal was far from over. As they moved through an alleyway, one of the girls confronted him, telling him to leave her alone, and then walked away. Despite her attempt to escape, Maclean called out after them and continued his disturbing conduct.

The prosecuting attorney, Kathryn Roughton, described the sequence of events in court, emphasizing the girls’ fear and the repeated harassment they endured. She explained that the girls heard Maclean shouting and trying to attract their attention, and that he had approached them multiple times, grabbing his genitals and calling them ‘sexy girls’ before performing the sexual act in front of them. The girls expressed their fear of being alone in public after the incident, worried about what Maclean might do if he encountered them again.

Maclean’s criminal history spans over four decades, including convictions for gross indecency with a child and sexual assault. He has been registered on the sex offenders’ list twice, highlighting a long-standing pattern of concerning behavior. Despite the gravity of his past convictions, Maclean changed his plea to guilty on the day he was scheduled to stand trial in March.

During the sentencing hearing at Coventry Crown Court, Judge Philip Gregory condemned Maclean’s actions, stating, “The girls must have thought they were being stalked by a freak. It’s almost a case of harassment. You really deserve to go to prison for behaving like this. You must have scared the life out of them.” Maclean was subsequently sentenced to 16 months in prison for committing an act that outraged public decency, a punishment that reflects the seriousness with which the court viewed his conduct and its impact on the victims.