SHANE TURNER INVOLVED IN NAKED FLASING INCIDENTS IN DEVON AND TAVISTOCK

In May 2021, Shane Turner, a 50-year-old man, was involved in a series of disturbing flashing incidents across Devon. Witnesses reported that he drove around towns with an inflatable sex doll in the passenger seat of his vehicle.

Turner, of Mary Tavy near Tavistock, was seen wearing a small black dress when he passed a man in Tavistock. Later, the same man observed Turner driving past in a Ford Ka, completely naked. Several members of the public witnessed a naked man entering a school car park on an evening in January, as detailed in Plymouth Crown Court.

A jury found Turner to be in breach of a court order issued five years prior, which prohibited him from exposing himself in public. This earlier order was related to a series of frightening offenses where he exposed himself to lone women at night, including in a cemetery in Exeter.

Turner denied linking to the terms of the Sexual Harm Prevention Order from 2016 during his trial but was convicted after a four-day court hearing. The charge pertains specifically to an incident outside Tavistock Primary and Nursery School on January 9 of the previous year. Although Turner was not charged for the incident involving the inflatable doll, witnesses recounted seeing it happen before Christmas 2019.

Prior to sentencing, Recorder David Shepherd released Turner on bail for a probation report, with a hearing set for June 11. The judge acknowledged the case's unusual nature, stating: “You have been convicted by the jury of a single offence. I do not know what I am going to do when it comes to sentence. I make it clear to you that all options are open, including custody. This is a serious offence in breach of a court order for previous serious offences. Be in no doubt of how seriously I take it.”

The main witness testified that on the night in question, around 7:20 pm, a Ford Ka entered a primary school car park. He described seeing Turner, who was not wearing any clothes, sitting with his head, shoulders, body, and genitals visible. The witness, who was close by along with others armed with torches, remarked, “He did not appear to be wearing anything. That is what caught my attention. I could see his head, shoulders, body, lap, and genitals.”

The witness added that the same car was seen a few minutes later at Tavistock Community College’s parking area and that weeks earlier, he had seen Turner in a similar vehicle along Pixon Lane. He noted that Turner had an inflatable sex doll on the passenger side of the car and appeared to be wearing a black dress, which he found unusual.

Further investigation revealed that the witness googled “Tavistock flasher” and found a story from the Daily Mirror, including a photograph from 2016—matching Turner’s appearance. He was able to identify Turner from a video identification process. Legally, his identity remains confidential.

Additionally, the witness recognized Turner later inside Tavistock’s Morrison’s supermarket, observing him get into a Ford Ka and noting the vehicle’s registration.

Turner attempted to claim that he was wearing a flesh-colored lingerie top near the school, but the witness maintained that Turner was nude. His previous conviction involved a campaign of exposing himself in Exeter, where he often lurked in alleyways near a graveyard, frightening victims.

He was ultimately caught on mobile phone footage by a mother who saw him naked from the waist down in Exeter at 3 am, asking, “Excuse me, mate, why do you keep walking around naked?”

Police operations led to Turner’s arrest when officers waited on Cowick Street for him to retrieve his BMX bike. Following his arrest, Turner was subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order designed to curb his inappropriate behavior. However, he had already violated this order by possessing a recording device without informing authorities, making his current conviction particularly serious.