A flasher who found thrills sitting naked from the waist down in his car before luring elderly women over by asking for directions has been jailed. Shameless sex pervert Mervyn Richards, 66, repeatedly travelled the eight miles from his hometown of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, to nearby Alsager, in Cheshire, to target innocent women.
Chester Crown Court heard from November 2022 to November 2024 he would drive alongside women “of pension age” walking on their own and either “ask for directions to the clinic or help with a medical issue.” But Cheshire Police said when they went to his car and “it is then they noticed he was naked from the waist down and exposing his penis.”
The court the women “were shocked and scared by his actions” before reporting the incidents to police.
On Wednesday 29th October Richards appeared before his honour Judge Michael Leeming and admitted seven exposures. He pleaded not guilty to a further four which will remain on file.
He was sentenced to 30 months in prison, 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.
After he was jailed, Det Con Lauren Constable 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.”
She added: “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.”