A paedophile who tried to expose himself to two young girls in the driveway of one of their homes while on police bail has been sentenced.
Peter Melville, 60, of Highland Road, Portsmouth, appeared at Swindon Crown Court via video link from HMP Bullingdon on Friday, February 14 after pleading guilty to breaching a sexual harm prevention order.
On September 3, Melville approached two young girls, aged 10 and 11, who were playing in the driveways of one of their homes in Covingham.
Melville, formerly known as Raymond Casson, walked towards them and told one of the girls she was beautiful, before handing her a two-pound coin and unzipping his trousers in an attempt to expose himself to them.
Ring doorbell footage shown in court captured the moment straight after the incident when the two girls ran away screaming and crying and banging on the front door to get away from Melville.
Melville was also captured on nearby CCTV walking around the area, walking past the driveway heading back, and then running away back to his van after the incident.
The court heard that the 60-year-old had been working as a vehicle courier and spent 40 minutes in Swindon, before fleeing to Bristol.
He was stopped shortly after by firearm officers near the M4 at 6:30pm.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, one of the girls said: “He looked like an innocent, normal man when he walked past - I didn’t think he was going to do something like that.
"I was crying and feeling terrified for a while. It was only when the police arrived I started to calm down because I knew they were going to help and he wouldn’t come back."
She explained that the trauma hit her two weeks later when she no longer felt able to do things by herself, meaning she was leaving lessons, sleeping in her mum’s bed and lying in bed at night thinking about the incident.
The girl shared a story about a time when her mum went into a shop and she stayed in the car, but felt “really unsafe” and “worried something bad would happen again.”
She said that prior to that day, she did not feel scared at all because she felt like she lived in a “nice area” and felt safe, but Melville's actions have changed her perspective.
The girl’s mum added that her daughter “doesn’t feel able to explore the world around her”, won’t leave her side in a shop, and doesn’t want to meet up with her friends in the park unless one of her parents is with her and doesn’t feel comfortable walking to school with her friends.
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She said: “It’s a difficult position as a parent and even more difficult as it has all happened outside our home.”
She concluded that the “highly traumatic event” meant her daughter was “being held back as a direct result of this man’s actions.”
The other young girl said: "I remember him driving past twice. He looked at me weird the second time. I felt confused - I didn’t know why he was looking at me.”
She described not knowing how the incident made her feel to begin with, but also described the panic and fear she felt directly after when she was screaming and crying and kicking the door trying to get inside the house.
The court heard how Melville, who has 11 convictions for 39 offences, including possession of indecent images and assaulting a child aged under 13, was last before the court after he had approached four teenage girls on a break at school who were sat beside a fence.
They noticed him in an alleyway opposite the school and saw him pull his trousers down in front of them.
In mitigation, Ms Stoker, defending, said Melville’s “ability to control himself is something he is trying his hardest to deal with” and he was “deeply, deeply sorry for his actions” and knows his actions would have frightened the girls.
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Ms Stoker added that it was an “impulsive decision” which he “bitterly regrets” and he “wishes to make changes to his life so he doesn’t impact on the lives of others.”
His Honour Judge Jason Taylor KC said Melville is “undoubtedly dangerous” and had presented a “worrying pattern of sexual offending." He was sentenced to 47 months in prison.
Detective Constable Jack Newton said: "Firstly, I would like to thank the victims for their incredible bravery in recalling this traumatic incident.
“Melville is a repeat offender who changed his name and has persistently targeted children. I am pleased he will spend time behind bars for what he has done.
"If you have been a victim of a sexual offence, please report it to us. We will work with you and support you to bring vile perpetrators such as Melville before the courts."
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