May 2014 Pervert Nuneaton OAP jailed A NUNEATON pensioner who exposed himself and performed sex acts in front of young girls in the town centre and in a leisure centre café has been jailed. James Howard pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to four charges of sexual activity in the presence of a child and one of exposure. After hearing that he had previous convictions for similar offences, Judge Alan Parker ruled that Howard poses a danger to other children in the future. Howard, aged 72 of Sheelin Crescent, Nuneaton, was jailed for two years, of which he will have to serve at least two thirds, and will then be subject to an extended period on licence until 2024. Prosecutor Blondelle Thompson said that at the end of the school summer holiday in September 2012 two girls were in the sweet aisle at the Wilkinsons store in Nuneaton when they realised Howard was following them. They moved to a different aisle, but he continued to follow them, so they left the store and went to sit on a nearby bench, but he continued watching them. The girls went back into the store, and after following them back in, Howard put his hand down his shorts and began playing with himself before exposing himself to them. The two friends went out into the street, but he continued to follow them, pushing his bike, for a short distance before disappearing as they called the police. In late October two 11-year-old girls were at the Nat West cash machine in Nuneaton town centre when they noticed Howard looking at them from a nearby bench. Smiling at them and licking his lips, he unbuttoned his trousers, exposed himself and touched himself inappropriately. The shocked girls rushed into Sally’s hairdressers and told a member of staff who alerted security staff. But when they turned up and the girls pointed out Howard to them, he got on his bike and rode away. Then on November 18 a 13-year-old girl and a friend went swimming at the Pingles Leisure Centre after which they went into the centre’s café. Howard came into the cafe with a woman, and when she then went to the toilets, he exposed himself to the girl. The police were contacted, and the girl identified Howard who was arrested, after which the girls from the earlier incidents also picked him out – but he answered ‘no comment’ when he was questioned. Miss Thompson pointed out that in 2004 Howard had been given a three-year community order for similar offences. But while subject to that order he committed further offences in front of children in the changing rooms at the swimming baths in Stratford, where he and his wife had a caravan. As a result, in August 2005 he was given an indeterminate prison sentence for the protection of the public, with a minimum term of nine months – but ended up serving two years and eight months before his release. Sally Hancox, defending, conceded: “There can be no doubt, as expressed in the pre-sentence report and in the report of the doctor, that there is an acknowledgement that those who assess him would define him as a high risk of further offending. “Perhaps now there is an acknowledgement by him of the serious and ongoing nature of his offending. “There can be no denying the embarrassment and fear of those who have seen Mr Howard engaging in such activity. He cannot and must not shy away from that fact. “His offending behaviour is serious and ongoing, and Your Honour must deal with him as someone who has not learned his lesson. “However unappealing this may be, Mr Howard now appears to be a gentleman of some age who has what may be described as a compulsion to behave in this way from time to time.” Miss Hancox said Howard would benefit from a sex offender’s treatment programme, which could be completed in two years if he was given a suspended sentence. But jailing Howard, Judge Alan Parker told him: “The question is, why do you do this? You admitted you are sexually attracted to girls aged between 11 and 13. “When you were asked why you exposed yourself you said ‘they’re amused by it.’ “You don’t believe your sexual conduct had any impact on those children; and you believed the children only made complaints about you because they had been late home, in order to get themselves out of trouble. “You said ‘In my mind it’s nice. It gives me a nice warm feeling in my groin.’ It was all about you, all about what you wanted, and nothing at all of sensitivity about your victims and what they must have feared as you pursued them. “My responsibility is to assess whether or not you present a significant risk of causing serious harm. I have absolutely no doubt that you do. These are deeply disturbing offences to children.” January 2014 Pervert OAP banned from Pingles Leisure Centre A PENSIONER has been banned from a Nuneaton leisure centre and ordered to register as a sex offender after exposing himself and performing sex acts in front of young girls. And a judge has said that James Howard’s case ‘cries out’ for a psychiatric report to be prepared on him in view of previous convictions for similar offences. Howard pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to four charges of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child at the Pingles Leisure Centre in Nuneaton. The court heard that on a date in September 2012 Howard twice carried out a sex act in the presence of 12-year-old girls ‘to obtain sexual gratification’ – and did the same in front of two 11-year-old girls the following month. Howard, aged 72 of Sheelin Crescent, Nuneaton, also pleaded guilty to a further charge of deliberately exposing his genitals in November 2012, intended that someone should see him do so. Sally Hancox, defending, asked whether the judge had seen Howard’s antecedents, which Judge Alan Parker said he had. That was a reference to a conviction in August 2005 when Howard was jailed for similar offences committed in front of ten-year-old girls at Stratford Leisure Centre. And at the time of those offences he was already subject to a community order imposed in December 2004 for exposing himself to children playing by a brook near his home. Miss Hancox said: “He has already been in contact, in relation to this case, with psychiatric services and with the Lucy Faithful Foundation.” The foundation is a charity which is dedicated to preventing child sex abuse and working with offenders to address their behaviour. Asking for an adjournment for a pre-sentence report, Miss Hancox said a psychiatric report was also being requested, together with a report from the foundation. And Judge Parker commented: “The case cries out for those additional reports.” He adjourned the case for the reports to be prepared on Howard, who was granted bail with conditions that he does not go to the Pingles Leisure Centre and does not have any contact with children. Howard was also ordered to register with the police as a sex offender. Judge Parker told him: “The fact that I am adjourning the case and permitting the preparation of the reports must not be seen by you as any indication of what the eventual sentence will be. “It is very probable you will receive a sentence of imprisonment forthwith.”