JOEL MOTSEPE AND HIS DISTURBING BEHAVIOR IN SCARBOROUGH
Joel Motsepe, a 29-year-old resident of Scarborough, has found himself once again at the center of a serious legal case involving breaches of a court-imposed order aimed at safeguarding women, following a pattern of troubling conduct in the town.In 2021, Motsepe, a devout Christian and registered sex offender, was subjected to a sexual-harm prevention order after his conviction for sexual offences.
This order explicitly prohibited him from following or approaching women who were alone in public, especially women with children.
Despite this, he continued to engage in behaviour that violated these restrictions, prompting police and court intervention.
The latest incident unfolded on November 6 of the previous year, when a police community support officer responded to reports of a man harassing women at the JD Sports store in Westborough.
Witnesses claimed that the man, later identified as Motsepe, was loitering inside the store and deliberately approaching female staff members and shoppers, making them feel unsettled and uncomfortable.
By the time police arrived at the scene, Motsepe had already left the premises, leaving authorities with limited immediate options.
Following his departure from JD Sports, the officer proceeded to nearby Poundland, where she spotted a man matching Motsepe’s description.
As she approached him, she overheard him questioning himself aloud, saying, "Am I a bad person?" Witnesses and officers noted that he appeared intoxicated or otherwise under the influence.
When questioned about his actions at JD Sports, he showed signs of disinterest, attempting to walk away from her.
Nevertheless, the officer managed to stop him and inquired about his recent behaviour.
During the interaction, Motsepe suddenly turned away from the officer and directed his attention towards a lone woman with two young children who was nearby.
Advancing towards her, he leaned in close and asked, "Am I making you feel uncomfortable?" The woman responded affirmatively, indicating that his approach was indeed unwelcome.
Police later examined CCTV footage from JD Sports, which captured Motsepe approaching a solitary woman in a queue and putting his arm around her in what appeared to be an unsolicited embrace.
The victim’s visibly startled reaction underscored that his intentions were not friendly or benign.
The following day, the same police officer encountered Motsepe again in Westborough.
She observed him urinating in an alleyway and warned him that he would be reported for such behaviour.
His response was defiant, telling her to "Go on and report me." After being told to move along, he walked out into Westborough but immediately approached a woman waiting alone at a bus stop.
In a move deemed suspicious, he raised his clenched fist as if preparing to fist bump her, but she did not respond.
The officer shouted at him to leave.
Motsepe was eventually recognized by a police offender manager from body-worn camera footage recorded by the community support officer, which led to his arrest.
He was charged with three counts of breaching the sexual-harm prevention order, which strictly prohibited him from approaching women alone in public or with children.
He appeared in court via video link on April 21, having been remanded in custody since his arrest.
The case revealed a troubling history: Motsepe has accumulated 23 prior convictions spanning 35 offences.
These include a sexual assault on a train conductor, theft, acts of violence, unauthorised railway travel, and a pattern of drunken and disorderly conduct.
His most recent sexual offence conviction was from September 2021, when he was sentenced to 12 months in jail, placed under a five-year sexual-harm prevention order, and registered on the sex offenders list for ten years.
This conviction stemmed from two counts of sexual assault, one of which involved an incident in August 2021 where he assaulted a holidaymaker on a mobility scooter in Westborough as she waited for her partner outside a shop.
During that assault, Motsepe approached the woman with her two young children, patted one of her dogs, and then leaned over her scooter to rub his arm against her intimate areas.
When she attempted to stop him, he retreated but then targeted her teenage daughter, kissing the dog and placing his arm around her.
Shortly afterward, he engaged another woman in the Brunswick Shopping Centre, who was also accompanied by her children.
He grabbed her hand, kissed her, and told her, "You are so beautiful," before departing with a casual farewell, "God bless.
Have a good day." His defence attorney, Victoria Smithswain, argued that alcohol consumption was a significant factor in Motsepe’s offending behaviour, stating that he is a Christian struggling to practice his faith due to alcohol issues.
Motsepe was sentenced to 16 months in prison by Judge Simon Hickey, who emphasized that his behaviour was intimidating and made women feel uncomfortable.
The judge also ordered that the existing sexual-harm prevention order be extended with stricter conditions, including a prohibition on any avoidable contact with women he does not know.
He will remain on the sex offenders register until August 2031, reflecting the seriousness of his repeated violations and the ongoing risk he poses to the community in Scarborough.
