Serial flasher appears in Belfast court accused of ‘lewd’ act

A serial flasher was remanded in custody in Belfast today accused of “committing an act of a lewd, obscene and disgusting nature”.

At Belfast Magistrates Court today, 44-year-old Jason Leonard Shaw spoke only to confirm that he understood the single charge against him, that of indecent exposure on November 7th.

The latest allegation against Mr Shaw comes just two days after he was granted High Court bail for a similar offence. It is the 19th time Mr Shaw has been charged with indecent exposure.

A police officer said he believed he could connect Mr Shaw to the most recent charge and as no bail application was lodged with the court, District Judge Amanda Henderson remanded him into custody to appear again on Monday via video link.

Last Wednesday at Belfast High Court, Mr Justice Weir said he would "take a chance" and released Mr Shaw on bail for an offence allegedly committed on October 19th.

The court heard in that incident, two women alerted security staff at the campus of Queens University reporting they had spotted a man with a plastic bag over his head but naked from the waist down, leaving them “shocked and distressed”.

Prosecuting lawyer Robin Steer told the court on Wednesday: "They were walking on the lower Malone Road opposite Methodist College when they claim to have seen the defendant standing in a gateway with a black plastic bag on his head but no clothing from the waist down and his penis out."

Mr Shaw was detained by the security staff until police arrived to arrest him and the court heard that during police interviews, he refused to answer officers’ questions.

Today, police told the court that even if Mr Shaw had applied for bail, they would be “strenuously objecting” to his release.

“He was refused bail by this court [last month],” said Judge Henderson. “The High Court let him out and there was almost immediate reoffending.”

In July 2011, Mr Shaw, who has previously exposed himself to young girls and is also subject to a 10 year sexual offences prevention order, was jailed for 18 months for exposing himself in the changing room of a city centre shop. He was warned at that stage by Judge Gemma Loughran that if he continued to repeatedly offend, he would be sent back to jail.