A pensioner who indecently exposed himself multiple times in front of his neighbour has narrowly avoided jail.

Robin Dyer, 68, of Home Ground, Royal Wootton Bassett, pleaded guilty to four counts of exposure at Swindon Magistrates Court on September 5.

The first set of offences were dated between December 1 and December 31 2022, with further offences this year on May 16, June 8 and July 23.

Ms Prince, prosecuting, told the court Dyer had exposed his genitals with the intention that someone would see them and be caused alarm or distress.

All of the incidents had been witnessed by a neighbour as they occurred on a bench outside his property. 

In mitigation, Mr Hotson, defending, said the pensioner had a good character record and had no previous convictions prior to these charges, but he realised he had an issue years ago and, despite seeking help, the issues continued while Dyer entered an early retirement and found himself with more free time and less structure to his daily life.

Mr Hotson said: “What he was doing was not being done in the knowledge that he could be seen, but he accepts he was seen and that his offending caused distress to a neighbour.”

He added that if Dyer had known he was visible to his neighbour, he would not have behaved in such a manner and the neighbour never said a word to him about it, but if they had come round to discuss the issue or “stick a note through the door”, he would have stopped.

The court also heard how Dyer had tried to make amends by attending a residential rehabilitation scheme, engaging with voluntary work and weekly therapy sessions, as well as “practical steps” including removing the bench where the offences took place and rebuilding the trust with his wife, family and friends.

Mr Hotson said: “He’s not gone out of the way for people to make sure they can see what he is doing, he did it in what he thought was the privacy of his own garden.

“It’s hugely distressing not just for him but his family and to his credit they have stuck by him and he does not wish to let them down again.

“Seldom have I seen someone do quite so much to deal with their offending behaviour.

"Mr Dyer has a realistic prospect of rehabilitation"

The magistrate warned Dyer: “These are very serious charges that you face and you could go away for six months today.

“However, with the submission from Mr Hotson about all the things you have done since being arrested, it has gone the right way. You have done the right things at the right time.

“Had you have not done that, you would be going away, it’s that serious.”

Dyer was given a community-based penalty of 11 months supervision by probation services, with 100 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He was ordered to pay a surcharge of £114 and prosecution costs of £85 and the magistrate warned him that if he breached his court order, he would be issued a custodial sentence.

“You do the work and you never come back to court again”, the magistrate added.