Man who exposed himself to schoolgirls and women in Coventry alleyway jailed - The Coventry Observer

Man who exposed himself to schoolgirls and women in Coventry alleyway jailed

Coventry Editorial 17th Jul, 2018   0

A man who exposed himself to schoolgirls and women in alleyways near his home, occasionally performing a sex act in front of them, has been jailed for two years.

Mohammed Abbas had been caught after police increased their presence in Foleshill, Coventry.

Abbas (34) of Foleshill Road, Foleshill, pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to three charges of exposure and two of sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Prosecutor Ian Windridge said that in September last year a 15-year-old girl in school uniform was on her way to Foleshill Road to catch a bus to school at around 7.30am.




She saw Abbas at the entrance to an alleyway she had to walk down, and he turned and walked down the alleyway ahead of her – but stopped about half-way down and turned back.

She then saw that Abbas had undone his trousers to expose himself and was performing a sex act.


When the shocked teenager said something to him, he ran back down the alleyway and the girl continued to school where she reported what had happened and gave a description of him.

The following month a woman was walking through a park on her way to work at around 8am when she saw Abbas exposing himself, but although she also gave a description of him to the police, he was not apprehended at that time.

Then in November a 13-year-old in school uniform was on her way to school when she saw Abbas ahead of her with his arms in front of his body, so crossed the road.

But Abbas also crossed over, turned and walked towards her, performing a sex act and telling her: “Look.”

As she quickly walked past him, he brushed against her, but made no attempt to grab her, said Mr Windridge.

About two weeks later, the same girl as in the first incident was again on her way to school when in an alleyway Abbas again exposed himself and carried out a sex act.

She tried to take a picture of him on her phone but he ran off, and she again gave the police a description.

In March this year, he did the same in front of a 17 year old on her way to college at 8.20am in the same alleyway.

She rushed past him and contacted her parents on her phone, and they immediately contacted the police with a full description – but he still avoided detection.

But as a result, the police increased their presence in the area, and later that month an officer saw him near an alleyway in Bedlam Lane, wearing a hooded top with a logo which matched the description given by one of the girls.

When he was first arrested he denied being responsible, but then admitted it was him, although he insisted he had no interest in females, and had paid no attention to who he was exposing himself to, added Mr Windridge.

Omar Majid, defending, conceded: “Plainly these offences would have been deeply distressing to the victims, and it is conduct which displays disturbing behaviour.”

He said Abbas had come to this country in 2011 after suffering intolerance and arrests over his homosexuality, and he is now in a relationship and lives with his boyfriend.

“At the time of these offences he was particularly conflicted and felt an urge to somehow demonstrate that he was not homosexual,” said Mr Majid, urging the judge to pass a suspended sentence.

But jailing Abbas and ordering him to register as a sex offender for ten years, Judge Andrew Lockhart QC told him: “This is behaviour which causes great distress to those who are forced to witness it.”

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