Shane Turner, aged 50, of Mary Tavy, near Tavistock, Devon, has been convicted by a unanimous jury verdict at Plymouth Crown Court after driving completely naked outside a primary school in direct breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
The conviction follows a four-day trial arising from an incident outside Tavistock Primary and Nursery School on the evening of 9 January.
Prosecution evidence detailed that at approximately 7:20 pm, a group of members of the public holding torches were near the entrance when a Ford Ka driven by Turner turned into the primary school car park.
A witness positioned just feet away from the driver’s side window observed that Turner was entirely unclothed, viewing his head, shoulders, torso, and exposed genitals.
The vehicle was observed a short time later driving around the adjoining car park of Tavistock Community College.
The witness informed the jury that he immediately recognised Turner from a bizarre sighting in nearby Pixon Lane several weeks prior.
During that earlier sighting, Turner was seen driving a similar vehicle while dressed in a woman’s black dress with an inflatable sex doll positioned upright in the front passenger seat.
Following the school incident, the witness conducted online research, matching Turner to historical news coverage of his previous convictions.
The witness subsequently identified Turner during a formal police video identification parade and recorded his vehicle registration after encountering him fully clothed inside a Tavistock supermarket.
Appearing in the dock, Turner denied breaching the order and attempted to convince jurors that he was clothed, holding up a flesh-coloured woman’s strappy top and claiming he had been wearing the garment at the time of the sighting.
The jury dismissed his account, returning a unanimous guilty verdict for breaching the conditions of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which strictly prohibits him from exposing his genitals in any public place.
The court was told that Turner was subject to the order following a prison sentence imposed in 2016 for a prolonged series of indecent exposures in Exeter.
During that campaign, Turner stalked alleyways and loitered near a cemetery at night, exposing himself to lone women.
His offending was halted after a mother confronted and filmed him naked from the waist down at 3:00 am, leading Devon and Cornwall Police to mount a targeted stakeout operation at his bicycle on Cowick Street.
Court records confirmed Turner had already incurred a previous conviction for breaching the order after possessing unnotified recording equipment.
Recorder David Shepherd granted Turner bail to allow for the compilation of a pre-sentence report by the Probation Service ahead of his sentencing hearing.
However, the judge issued a stern warning regarding the likelihood of a prison sentence, telling Turner: “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.”
Image credit – Anonymous Artist Impression
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