A married pensioner flashed his genitals at a woman as she walked down a Tyneside street.
Sidney Hulme, who has a previous conviction for similar offending, was on his first trip out alone after shielding with his wife during the Covid-19 lockdowns when he exposed himself to a female in Wallsend, North Tyneside. A court heard that the victim spotted the 78-year-old and noticed he had his penis hanging over the top of his trousers as he walked towards her.
Prosecutors claim the woman saw the pensioner apparently performing a sex act at the same time, which he denies. The horrified victim then dashed into a nearby florist and phoned the police, who arrived at the scene and spoke to Hulme.
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Now, Hulme, of Wallsend, has been given a 12-month community order after pleading guilty to one count of exposure at Newcastle Magistrates' Court. He has previous conviction for the same offence from 2016.
Gurjot Kaur, prosecuting, said the woman was walking down Chicken Road on May 14 last year when she spotted Hulme coming towards her. Ms Kaur added: "She noticed the defendant had his penis exposed and hanging over his trousers and it was soft.
"When both parties moved closer to each other, she sees the action of masterbation from the defendant. As a result, she goes into a nearby florist and contacts the police. Officers then speak to the defendant."
The court heard that Hulme has seven offences on his record, including one for exposure in 2016 when he received a nine-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months. Ian Cassidy, defending, told magistrates Hulme had significant medical difficulties, including mental health issues.
Mr Cassidy said: "His wife had been looking after him. At the time, they had both been shielding. That was from February 2020 until May 2021. The offence was in May 2021 and it was the first time he had managed to get out in public on his own. He has no recollection of what happened."
The solicitor said that Hulme denied performing a sex act.
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