HUDDERSFIELD SICKO FOLLOWS GIRL HOME, FILMS WOMAN WHILE TOUCHING HIMSELF AND FLASHES SCHOOLGIRLS
A man from Huddersfield surrendered himself to authorities after the British Transport Police issued a public appeal for information concerning an incident involving a woman being filmed and touched inappropriately on a train bound for Leeds.Michael McGowan, age 29, was handed a three-year community order at Bradford Crown Court after admitting to outraging public decency and other offences related to stalking and indecent exposure.
The court was told that McGowan, residing on North Cross Road in Cowcliffe, had followed a teenage girl twice as she walked home from Brighouse bus station during September and December of last year.
Prosecutor Elle Embleton recounted that during the second encounter, the girl started to run away while on her phone speaking to her mother.
Her father arrived and confronted McGowan, who apologized, claiming, “I’m sorry if I scared her.
I’m only walking home.” In November, he also exposed himself to two 13-year-old girls on a bus from Brighouse to Huddersfield, and in January, he committed a similar offense on a train heading to Leeds.
A passenger on that train described feeling very uncomfortable and distressed by the incident.
Later, in a victim impact statement, she described the event as “deeply disturbing,” which made her feel vulnerable and unsafe while traveling publicly.
In February, McGowan was observed filming a 14-year-old girl on a bus to Brighouse while being heard “moaning” as he engaged in a sex act on himself.
Some of the women involved in the incidents expressed feeling “traumatised,” and others spoke of losing confidence and independence.
It was revealed that McGowan, who had no criminal history, initiated contact with the British Transport Police following the distribution of his images in the media.
He had been remanded for 14 weeks, and Recorder Paul Reid indicated that given this period in custody, a community punishment was suitable.
McGowan admitted guilt to charges including stalking, indecent exposure, and outraging public decency in March.
His sentence includes a prohibition from railway stations without a valid travel ticket and the imposition of a GPS tracking device to monitor his movements over the next year.
A sexual harm prevention order has been issued for five years, during which McGowan must also register as a sex offender.
The judge stressed the role of probation services in helping him “reintegrate.” Reid concluded that McGowan had “handed himself in” and had lost the reputation of good character he previously held.
