BURSLEM MAN JAILED FOR EXPOSING HIMSELF TO ELDERLY WOMEN WHILE PRETENDING TO ASK FOR DIRECTIONS
A flasher targeted multiple elderly women by pretending to ask for directions.Mervyn Richards made the short journey from Stoke-on-Trent to Alsager to target his pension-age victims.
Chester Crown Court heard the 66-year-old would drive alongside women walking on their own in Alsager and either ask for directions to the clinic or help with a medical issue.
Once they approached his vehicle, they would notice he was naked from the waist down and exposing his penis.
The women were shocked and scared by his actions and reported the incidents to police.
Richards went on to plead guilty to seven exposures between November 2022 and December 2024.
He denied a further four which were to remain on file.
Now the defendant, of High Lane, Burslem, has been jailed for 30 months.
He was also banned from obtaining a driving licence for 39 months, has to sign onto the Sex Offenders Register and handed a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Speaking after the case, DC Lauren Constable, of Cheshire Police, said: “I would firstly like to thank the victims who have shown bravery and trust in the police for reporting this and supporting the investigation.
Without their support he would not have been caught and brought to justice.
“I’d also like to thank the collective efforts of Crewe CID for their ongoing and tireless work in identifying him, knowing the risk he posed to these women.
“Richards showed no remorse for his actions, and he offered no explanation or apologies for his continued behaviour, which had caused these women and others to feel unsafe in their community.
“I hope this conviction reassures the community that we take the safety of our residents seriously and will stop at nothing to identify and prevent this type of behaviour by putting these offenders before the courts for their intolerable actions.
“Indecent exposure is not a trivial act that can just be dismissed as something that just happens, it is a crime which causes real concern.
We should all feel safe and free to go about our business, but people like Richards choose to act in a manner that impacts this greatly.
That’s why we’re committed to finding these offenders and getting justice for those affected by such arrogant and selfish behaviour.”
