Pervert who performed sex act in Aldi in front of shopper avoids jail

‘Disgraceful’ pervert who performed sex act in Aldi to the horror of stunned female shopper avoids jail

• Alexander Clarke, 58, performed a sex act in front of a customer in Aldi
• The pervert touched himself in front of the horrified woman in Bournemouth 
• He was given 12-month suspended sentence and 200 hours of unpaid work
• The ‘disgraceful’ incident took place in January 2021 in an Aldi check-out queue

A pervert who performed a lewd sex act on himself in front of a horrified female customer in a supermarket checkout queue has avoided jail.

Alexander Clarke, 58, was stood behind his victim in Aldi in Boscombe, Bournemouth, when she noticed he was ‘too close’ to her given social distancing rules in place at the time.

She initially thought the defendant was eyeing up her laptop in her bag, before realising he was fondling himself under his clothing in the Dorset store. 

The victim alerted a member of staff who in turn called over security – and sex pest Clarke fled the Aldi supermarket immediately. 

The ‘disgraceful’ incident took place in January 2021 at an Aldi store during lockdown restrictions.

Sex pest Alexander Clarke (pictured), 58, touched himself in front of a horrified shopper in Aldi in January 2021. He avoided jail and was handed a 12-month suspended sentence at Poole Magistrates’ Court

The ‘disgraceful’ incident took place in January 2021 at an Aldi store in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, during lockdown restrictions

Clarke, who was in breach of a sexual risk order made in 2019, was found guilty of performing a sex act following a trial at Poole Magistrates’ Court. He was handed a 12-month suspended sentence.

Stuart Ellacott, prosecuting, said Clarke’s sexual risk order included that he must not expose or pleasure himself in public.

He said Clarke was not arrested until June 2021, five months after the offence, despite being seen getting into a vehicle registered to him outside the store.

Mr Ellacott read out a victim impact statement in which the woman said she ‘feels insecure going out on her own, particularly at night when she sees a lone male’.

Lucie Taylor, mitigating, said Clarke had set up a landscaping business in the past two months and other than the incident he lives a ‘normal and productive life’.

She said a suspended sentence would give Clarke, a landscape gardener, an opportunity to begin a ‘long road’ of rehabilitation to address his problems.

Recorder Paul Garlick QC told Clarke he was close to sending him to prison before giving him a 12-month suspended sentence, with 60 rehabilitation activity days and 200 hours of unpaid work.

The offender was also handed a two year restraining order.

He said: ‘Your conduct was disgraceful. Your conduct caused real distress to an opposite member of the sex.’

Before allowing Clarke to leave the dock, the judge asked: ‘Do you understand the seriousness of the offence?’

The defendant replied: ‘I do.’

Source: Read Full Article