Man jailed for indecent exposure in Watford

A man has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment following an incident of indecent exposure.

Officers received a report on Monday 18 March that a man had been seen performing a sex act on a bus in Watford.

The victim, a 14-year-old girl, had boarded the bus to go to school that morning when she witnessed the incident. The girl left the bus at the next stop where she then called police.

Officers arrived at the scene and arrested a man aged in his 40s in connection with the incident.

Scott Bailey, aged 45, of no fixed abode, was charged with indecent exposure and criminal damage and was remanded into custody.

Bailey pleaded guilty to the offences and appeared at Luton Crown Court on Friday 12 July for sentencing.

He received a six-month custodial sentence in relation to the exposure and a further six months for previous matters. Bailey has also been given a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Detective Constable Jennifer Stoddart, from the Watford Local Crime Unit, said: “This type of behaviour is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in Watford. The victim was very brave to call the police and thanks to her swift actions, we were able to catch Bailey.

“I hope this result provides reassurance to members of the public that we take all reports seriously and will act on them as quickly as we can.”

You can report information online at herts.police.uk/report, speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat at herts.police.uk/contact or call the non-emergency number 101. In an emergency, call 999.

Alternatively, you can stay 100% anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.