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Driver exposed himself to female cyclist 'while asking for directions'

"This incident has made me feel angry. I feel violated. I was just trying to go home."...

A 'pervert' driver exposed himself to a female cyclist while pretending to ask her for directions as she rode home. 

Paul Lovatt pulled alongside the victim in his car and rolled down the window before performing a sex act on himself while asking the woman 'if she knew where King Street was'.

The 'horrified' woman shouted at him and, as he drove away, she 'chanted' his registration number to herself while calling the police, to make sure she remembered it, Stoke on Trent Live reports. 

Magistrates at North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard that in a bizarre twist 40-year-old Lovatt then returned to the scene and tried to apologise.

Prosecutor Emma Thompson said: "At around 5.20pm, the victim was cycling home from work. While in Hanley, she became aware of a vehicle behind her.

"She said she noticed it because it was driving on the other side of the road as if trying to overtake her, but was going really slowly.

"She got off her bike to get out of his way. As she did so, he pulled alongside her. The front passenger side window was down.

"He said, 'Excuse me, love, can you tell me where' - then he hesitated - 'King Street is?'

"She noticed his penis was exposed."

The court heard Lovatt was performing a sex act and when the victim shouted at him, 'Oh my God, you are a disgusting pervert'. He drove away.

Ms Thompson said: "The victim had her phone out to call the police. She was chanting his registration number so she didn't forget. 

"She then saw his vehicle come back and saw the defendant again. He said, 'I'm sorry love, sorry about that'. He kept saying it then drove away.

"The defendant has not been in trouble for 20 years. Nevertheless, this is a disturbing offence."

Lovatt was later arrested and claimed he 'found the victim attractive' and had done 'a stupid thing'.

The victim said in a statement: "This incident has made me feel angry. I feel violated. I was just trying to go home. I then have a disgusting person showing me their genitals.

"I'm concerned he would do it to someone else, someone who was not as vocal as me.

Lovatt, of Richard Dawson Drive, Bucknall, pleaded guilty to a charge of indecent exposure. 

Peter Howland, mitigating, said: "He apologised straight away to his victim. He accepts he returned to speak to her, but his sole reason was to apologise.

"He has given up his part-time employment because of this offence."

Lovatt was handed a community order and made subject to the notification requirements of the sex offenders' register for the next five years.

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10 comments

Avatar
Zjtm231 | 2 years ago
3 likes

I guess it's just lucky this guy wasnt a policeman; if he was there would have never been an investigation let alone gone to court.....

Avatar
IanMK | 2 years ago
1 like

Reminded me that Mark Twain's "thoughts on the science of onanism" is well worth a read.

Eventually he concludes "As an amusement, it is too fleeting; as an occupation . . . too wearing; as a public exhibition, there is no money in it."

However he does observe "The monkey is the only animal, except man, that practices this science; hence, he is our brother; there is a bond of sympathy and relationship between us. Give this ingenuous animal an audience of the proper kind and he will straightway put aside his other affairs and take a whet; and you will see by his contortions and his ecstatic expression that he takes an intelligent and human interest in his performance."

Avatar
Captain Badger | 2 years ago
6 likes
Quote:

"The defendant has not been in trouble for 20 years. Nevertheless, this is a disturbing offence."

What did he do 20 years ago?

Avatar
Christopher TR1 | 2 years ago
4 likes

If he had knocked her off her bike he wouldn't have gotten in nearly as much trouble. Sad but true.

Avatar
brooksby | 2 years ago
8 likes

"He found the victim attractive"? Have pick up lines changed that much since I was last single...?  When I were a lad, w@nking at them really wasn't considered a great way of meeting girls...

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to brooksby | 2 years ago
6 likes

brooksby wrote:

"He found the victim attractive"? Have pick up lines changed that much since I was last single...?  When I were a lad, w@nking at them really wasn't considered a great way of meeting girls...

Unfortunately with the prevalence of "dick pics" in school settings (the figures are quite horrifying, IIRC 90% of girls aged 12+ have received them) I fear a whole generation is growing up with a substantial proportion of young men thinking it is an acceptable chat up technique. Several female friends have taken themselves off online dating because it's quite common to be having a perfectly ordinary text/email exchange with a seemingly normal man and then suddenly to receive an unsolicited shot of his genitals. Scary.

Avatar
brooksby replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
3 likes

Avatar
MTB Refugee replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
4 likes

Unfortunately there are sizable number of people who think that saying and doing bad things on the internet is OK. Stuff they wouldn't dream of doing in person is acceptable if you don't have to look the person in the eye.

Avatar
ErnieC replied to brooksby | 2 years ago
6 likes

brooksby wrote:

"He found the victim attractive"? Have pick up lines changed that much since I was last single...?  When I were a lad, w@nking at them really wasn't considered a great way of meeting girls...

when i were a lad, winking at the girls was perfectly acceptable, my how times  have changed. 

Avatar
brooksby replied to ErnieC | 2 years ago
1 like

ErnieC wrote:

brooksby wrote:

"He found the victim attractive"? Have pick up lines changed that much since I was last single...?  When I were a lad, w@nking at them really wasn't considered a great way of meeting girls...

when i were a lad, winking at the girls was perfectly acceptable, my how times  have changed. 

Chapeau, sir! I lift my cap to thee.

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