Kirkby man exposed himself to teen girls and offered them drugs and cash

John Mongan was driving a van that pulled up outside a pub in Telford town centre, on August 11, last year, and invited them to befriend him on Facebook, prosecutor Sanjay Jerath told Nottingham Magistrates’ Court.

He and an older male passenger claimed to have a large amount of money. They offered the girls cocaine and promised them a trip to another pub, but both girls declined.

As he took a white envelope containing cash from the glove box, Mongan pulled up his shorts and exposed his penis.

When the girls walked off, Mongan and his passenger shouted ‘slappers’ and ‘lesbians’ after them.

In a statement, one girl said: "They were trying to pressure us and take cocaine. I made a comment, ‘are you going to kidnap us?’ It was meant to be a joke. The older man said, ‘yeah, but it will be fun’."

The other girl said she was left ‘shaken and scared’ and thought ‘things could have got a lot worse’.

"They are vulnerable by virtue of their age," added Mr Jerath.

When he was interviewed, Mongan denied all knowledge and involvement before making no further comment.

He has 11 previous convictions for 17 offences, but none for sexual offences, and was last in court in 2020 for drunk and disorderly behaviour. In 2019, he received a community order which he failed to comply with and received an eight-week sentence in prison.

Gabriella Fearns, mitigating, asked the magistrates to consider a conditional discharge because of ‘the impact and stigma’ this conviction would have for him in the Traveller community.

She said the dad-of-four, who is separated from his wife, has been in custody since March 19.

“This wasn't a case where he was pursuing the victims for the sole intention of exposure,” Ms Fearns said. “He accepts it was a stupid and a foolish mistake.

“These weren't victims who were completely immature. They were 17 years old at the time. It was an isolated incident.”

Mongan, 26, of David Street, Kirkby, admitted exposure, on January 21. He was granted conditional bail to return to court for sentencing on April 9.

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