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Crime

08th Oct 2022

Pervert pensioner regularly stripped naked in his window when a school bus dropped off teen girls, court told

Steve Hopkins

The pensioner got the girl’s attention and then showed her a picture of his penis on his phone

A pervert pensioner regularly stripped off and stood stark naked in his window when a school bus dropped off teenage girls outside his home, a court has been told.

Former soldier Thomas Beattie also showed one of the schoolgirls a photograph of his penis on his mobile phone.

The 71-year-old denied the allegations but was convicted after a trial during which a district judge was shown a photograph on the girl’s phone corroborating her evidence.

St Helens Magistrates’ Court heard a mum told police her 15-year-old daughter had seen Beattie exposing himself from a window numerous times over a 12 month period.

The court was told that on March 12 last year the teen got off the bus when she saw Beattie stood in his front window with a phone to his ear.

As she walked past, he turned the phone towards her to reveal a photograph of a penis on the phone’s screen.

Shannen Carey, prosecuting, said: “It looked like it had been taken from above as a selfie-style shot.

He said something but she only heard the word “inch”.

“She went home and told her mum.”

Beattie, of Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, was found guilty of exposure and causing a child aged 15 to look at an image of sexual activity.

The defendant, who has no previous convictions represented himself at the sentencing hearing, and told the court: “I’m innocent.”

He said: “I was in the Army and have never been in trouble before. I have worked all my life and I’m not a threat to the community,” he said.

District Judge Wendy Lloyd told him he had put the girl and her friend through the ordeal of giving evidence in court where both were cross-examined.

She added that while the charge of exposure of which he was found guilty only related to one day: “It was well known that you would be naked at the window at the time the school bus arrived.

“I found the prosecution proved the matters beyond any reasonable doubt.” She told him: “I find you sexually entertained yourself by displaying yourself and your naked penis to a young girl.

“You knew what time the school bus was due and you made sure when it was due you did not have any clothes on.”

The judge said she believed that being in his own home disinhibited him.

Judge Lloyd added that Beattie had claimed the girls were lying and used the excuse of hanging out his towel for exposing himself.

He was given a 20 week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.

The district court judge also imposed a 20-week curfew and ordered Beattie to pay costs totalling £528 and sign on the Sex Offenders Register.

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