Pensioner who exposed himself and performed sex act in front of young girl escapes jail sentence


A man has been branded by a judge as a ‘dirty old man’ after he exposed himself and performed a lewd act in front of a young girl.
The girl was left shocked and shaken by the actions of Kam-nan Tsoi, 73, at his home in Colburn.
York Crown Court heard on Friday that Tsoi had been putting a sign or note up in his window before the incident which involved a primary school aged child.
Prosecutor Kate Bisset told the court that the girl couldn’t make out what was written on the sign, but Tsoi then removed the note and “opened the blinds further”.
The girl could see inside Tsoi’s house where the man was “bare-legged and naked from the waist down”.
After exposing himself he then performed a lewd act on himself at the window.
Police were informed about the incident on February 4 last year and Tsoi was arrested five days later.
The father-of-two, who lived at the address with other family members, was brought in for questioning and admitted being at his home on the day in question, but claimed he was fully clothed.
“When asked about the sign, he said he had been moving papers and some had blown outside the blinds, and he was trying to retrieve (them),” added Ms Bisset.
However, scenes-of-crime officers found incriminating DNA evidence in his living room.
Despite the evidence weighed against him, Tsoi maintained his innocence until the day of trial when he finally pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.
The court heard that the young victim had been badly affected by the incident and said she felt like she was “trapped in a bubble and I can’t get out”.
“It feels wrong to talk about what I saw,” she added.
She said it felt like “someone is watching me” when she went out shopping and that she felt scared whenever she saw someone who looked like Tsoi.
The girl – who cannot be named for legal reasons – was so upset by the incident she wouldn’t even talk to her parents about it.
Defence barrister Michelle Turner said that Tsoi didn’t own up to the offence initially because of his “shame” and embarrassment about the incident.
He was essentially “hoping it would all go away”.
Ms Turner said that Tsoi and his wife had settled in the UK in the early 1960s where they “built up a productive life and raised a family”.
However, following his retirement his wife died and he felt lonely and isolated.
Tsoi had since moved to Lancashire where he lived alone, although his family were standing by him.
The disgraced pensioner – now of Preston Road, Standish, near Wigan – had never been in trouble before.
Judge Sean Morris told Tsoi he had behaved “like a dirty old man”, adding: “You have caused enormous upset to a little girl.
“She feels numb. She doesn’t feel like talking about (the incident) because she feels what she saw was wrong or that she did something wrong.”
The judge said although Tsoi didn’t admit the offence until the day of trial, he could suspend the inevitable prison sentence because the smart-suited defendant had led a hitherto blameless life.
The 10-month jail sentence was suspended for two years. Tsoi was also ordered to carry out 300 hours’ unpaid work and placed on the sex-offenders’ register for 10 years.
He was also made subject to a sexual-harm prevention order to protect other children.