• 2 years ago
• Posted in:Public Decency Offences, Sexual Offences, SOPO/SHPO breaches, Theft/ Fraud/ Money laundering
• 0
• Author: Thomas Gradgrind
• Tags: Aged 20-29, Aged 30-39, Aged 50-59, ANPR, Asperger's/autism, Autogynephilia, Beard, Changing room exposure, Clown mask, Convicted 1997, Convicted 2002, Convicted 2008, Convicted 2022, Cross dresser, Crossdressing while offending, Elderly victim, England, Female victim, HCP victim, HMP Preston, Homelessness, Lancashire, Lancashire Constabulary, Multiple victims, No remorse, Offended 1990s, Offended 1997, Offended 2002, Offended 2008, Offended 2021, Offended 2022, Offended in female space, Paul Whittaker, Public masturbation, Repeat offender, Shopworker victim, Stealing women's clothes, Transvestite, Victim sex unknown, West Yorkshire Police, Women's/child's underwear

Paul Whittaker/Whitaker, a violent male transvestite was convicted at Burnley Crown Court in November 2022 of six counts of indecent exposure. Whittaker, 53, was sentenced to three years’ in prison, issued with an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and must sign the sex offenders register for life. 

Media coverage highlighted that the first offence (of six similar offences at five different care homes) was “an extremely distressing incident” where Whittaker was “performing a sex act on himself” (ie masturbating) at 5am while standing outside a window of a nursing home in Burnley, Lancashire on 17 August 2021. Whittaker was wearing a white clown mask, white basque, pink bloomer style knickers, with stockings and suspenders. Before being identified, he was originally featured on this site as the Burnley Transvestite Sex Offender.

Whittaker was previously convicted of similar indecent exposure offences and stealing women’s underwear from washing lines in Leeds in 2008 – when caught he had amassed over 1000 items of underwear but was only sentenced to an 18-month conditional discharge despite being a repeat offender. His offending actually dates back to 1997 when he was arrested in a field wearing a bra, lace underwear, stockings and suspender belt after victimising a woman on a horse. He also has two convictions for public nuisance having been caught committing sex acts (ie masturbating) while wearing women’s knickers in shop cubicles in 2002. He also had a pair of knickers on his head in a cubicle at a Bon Marche store while masturbating. The probation service found Whittaker had “anger issues towards women generally”, fetishes involving women’s underwear and he refused to accept that his actions upset the women he victimised.

At the sentencing hearing in Burnley Crown Court in March 2023, Whittaker, who was diagnosed with autism five years ago, appeared via video link from Preston Crown Court and represented himself. He continued to maintain his innocence, telling the court, “I was framed and set up for this, there’s no indication of why I was arrested”.

Judge Sara Dodd said: “This is offending against women working in care homes, working at night, sometimes alone.

The CPS press release issued when Whittaker was sentenced states that he was arrested at his home on the 18 May 2022 after his car had been tracked via automatic number plate recognition (ANPR). “Inside his bedroom was a vast amount of women’s lingerie. When his phone was analysed, they found videos of him performing the same sexual act whilst wearing outfits, similar to those described by witnesses. He gave a no comment interview to the police.” Whittaker was remanded into custody and has been in HMP Preston since his arrest.

Jim Mowbray Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West said: “Paul Whittaker demonstrated compulsive and predatory behaviour when he targeted care homes in order to perform sex acts for staff to see. “All those he exposed himself to were understandably terrified by his actions, which has had a significant impact on their lives and their ability to carry out their important work.”

The Public Decency Offences category for this site currently contains around 50 other examples of trans-identified male sex offenders masturbating/exposing their genitals in public.

Image via Lancs Police

Media reports

Lancashire Telegraph https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/23404023.man-bra-exposed-outside-burnley-care-homes-jailed/ archive

CPS press release https://www.cps.gov.uk/north-west/news/man-jailed-exposing-himself-east-lancashire-care-homes archive

Burnley Express https://www.burnleyexpress.net/news/crime/pervert-found-guilty-of-exposing-himself-outside-multiple-care-homes-while-wearing-womens-underwear-in-east-lancashire-3904503 archive

Daily Record https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/man-donned-clown-mask-underwear-24798730 archive

Lancashire Evening Post https://www.lep.co.uk/news/crime/man-wearing-clown-mask-and-womens-underwear-performs-sex-act-outside-lancashire-nursing-home-3353068 archive

Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-530343/Steal-knickers-washing-lines-jail-judge-tells-thief-ONE-THOUSAND-pairs.html archive

Telegraph & Argus https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/2103849.knicker-fetish-thief-had-1000-pairs/ archive