A 73-year-old man has been spared jail despite a judge branding his explanation for a series of indecent acts as a "blatantly nonsensical account." Robert May was sentenced at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court on October 19 after pleading guilty to outraging public decency.
May was caught performing sex acts in full view of his flat window in Chaddesley Corbett, Worcestershire, and fondling bras belonging to his elderly neighbour, Margaret Day, 79. The court heard that during the summer of 2025, the widow observed him masturbating from his window on more than 30 occasions.
Initial Excuse of Deep Heat
When first interviewed by police, May claimed he had been applying deep heat for his aching joints and that the curtain must have fallen down, exposing him. However, after being shown video evidence recorded by Day's daughter, Susan Mason-Day, he conceded that he was plainly not rubbing cream in as he had stated.
District Judge Ian Strongman said: "He still seems to be maintaining that he had done nothing wrong, it was an accident, the curtain had fallen down. I have to say that is a blatantly nonsensical account."
Incident with Washing Line
On another occasion, May was captured on a Ring doorbell sneaking into Day's back garden and fondling underwear on her washing line. He told officers he had gone to retrieve his dog's ball and put his hand out to steady himself, accidentally touching the bra. The judge described this as another "nonsensical explanation."
The court also heard that May had sent a text to Day asking to see her breasts, which he told probation officers was meant as a joke. The judge noted that despite his guilty plea, May failed to accept any wrongdoing.
Victim Impact and Sentencing
Prosecutor Miss Blacklocke read a statement from Day, who described how she and her late husband Brian had befriended May in 2013. She said she felt sorry for him as he was on his own and worked doing garden maintenance. In her victim statement, Day said she felt like an outcast in her community.
The statement read: "I feel sad, anxious and I feel that my lovely life in Chaddesley has been contaminated and the people around me won't speak to me. My blood pressure is really high and I've had to see doctors often."
May was handed a 27-month suspended prison sentence, ordered to pay £500 compensation, and made subject to a three-year restraining order. Speaking after the case, his daughter Susan, 54, said she hoped the restraining order would draw a line under the matter and that community housing might decide to move him away from the area.
