Drunk in lacy stockings exposed himself to terrified neighbour

An Annesley man who indecently exposed himself to an elderly woman while wearing lacy stockings under his trousers had terrorised her and her neighbours for years, a court heard.
Mansfield Magistrates' Court.Mansfield Magistrates' Court.
Mansfield Magistrates' Court.

Ross Cope banged on the woman’s window and was later seen drunk in her back garden wearing “lace pattern stockings” with a gap at the crotch and “his genitals on show”, on Saturday, September 9, at about 5.30pm.

Joanne Reynolds, prosecuting at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court, said: “He made a shrugging gesture and began fumbling with his trousers and pulled them up, before dropping them again.

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“He was falling all over the garden and shouting drunken nonsense.”

The court heard Cope then went to the front of the house and hung from her front railings, shouting and swearing. He sat on the pavement and was abusive to two council workers.

A woman with two young children in her car told Cope to move away, as she ushered the children indoors.

The incident left the woman, who is due to start chemotherapy for cancer and had been in the process of writing her will, feeling “stressed, frustrated and in pain”.

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Ms Reynolds said: “Thoughts of him coming around and causing issues were making her feel worse.

“She is so frustrated by the resources that have been wasted dealing with him.

“For years and years, her and her neighbours have been having issues with Cope. Many times she has been too scared to get out of her own car.”

The court heard that in the past Cope had slept in her back garden, urinated on nearby drives, interrupted church meetings and generally made a drunken nuisance of himself.

Cope, aged 46, of Byron Road, admitted indecent exposure.

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He told police he was a recovering alcoholic who had been to the the pub and drank “less than 10 pints”, but had no recollection of what he had done.

He said he had just brought the stockings and they were “something he was experimenting with”.

The court heard he had nine previous convictions for being drunk and disorderly, and he was last convicted in August 2015.

Rebecca Williams, mitigating, said Cope had intended to go to shopping in Mansfield, but instead “made the ill-advised decision” to go to the pub with an old friend.

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She said: “He has no recollection of the offence itself. He is deeply ashamed of what he has done. He is appalled anyone should have to experience what he did that day.”

He said Cope had demonstrated remorse and had tried not to drink alcohol for ten months.

Magistrates said his behaviour was “totally unacceptable” and “unfair to the complainant.”

Cope was given a 26-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and a three-month curfew from 8pm to 7am. He was ordered to carry out 30 days of rehabilitation activity.

A three year restraining order banning him from contacting the woman was made. He was also ordered to pay £85 costs and a £115 victim surcharge.