Flasher neighbour, 73, who performed sex acts in front of widow and fondled bras on her washing line for more than 10 years amid perverted campaign avoids prison

A 73-year-old flasher neighbour who performed sex acts while standing naked in his window and walked into a widow's garden to touch her bras has avoided jail. 

Margaret Day, 79, was also bombarded with disgusting text messages by Robert May, a court heard.

May initially told police that he had been applying deep heat for his aching joints and the curtain must have fallen down when he was caught masturbating from his flat window. 

But a court heard that he masturbated in front of his window on more than 30 occasions – but was only brought to justice after Mrs Day's daughter Sue Mason-Day installed a camera at her housing complex in Worcestershire to record the acts.

Mrs Mason-Day, 54, said her mother had endured the 'years of hell' which started when her father Brian was still alive and continued after his death.

She told how he would send text messages saying 'show me your breasts' before it escalated to him touching himself naked in his flat window in plain view. 

The flashing neighbour avoided jail and was handed a 27 month suspended prison sentence today at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court.

May previously pleaded guilty to an act of outraging public decency at an earlier hearing. 

Sentencing, District Judge Ian Strongman said that the defendant maintained there had been no wrongdoing on his part despite his plea. 

He said: 'The charges during the months of June and the beginning of July and the complaint was, made by Mrs Day, that on many occasions she saw him through the window of his flat, plainly in view and absolutely naked.

'She believed him to be masturbating.

'Her daughter learned about that and they managed to record it for evidence so that a proper complaint could be made to the police.

'When he was interviewed about it he said that he had done nothing wrong, that because of his on-going health conditions it was necessary for him to rub deep heat into his aching joints.

'He was shown in interview the video and had to concede that he plainly wasn't rubbing cream in as he 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.'

The court heard on another occasion May was caught on a Ring doorbell installed at her property sneaking in the back garden and fondling the underwear on her washing line. 

This time, he told cops he had gone in to fetch his dog's ball and had put his hand out to steady himself when he accidentally touched the bra. 

The judge added: 'There were other complaints made that don't relate to the charge, historical matters, of him being in her garden and interfering with her underwear hanging on the washing line.

'He explained to the probation officer he'd gone to retrieve his dog's ball and whilst there, in order to steady himself, put his hand out.

'Again, a nonsensical explanation.

'There was an occasion where he sent a text to Mrs Day asking to see her breasts.

'He told probation that it was meant to be a joke.

'Regrettably, although he pleaded guilty to the charge and wishes to maintain a guilty plea he fails to accept any wrongdoing.'

May was also ordered to pay £500 compensation and made subject of a three-year restraining order. 

Prosecutor Miss Blacklocke said May had initially been Mrs Day and her late husband Brian's friend. 

Reading a statement from Margaret from July 2025, she said: 'She describes how she and her late husband Brian had made friends with the defendant Mr Robert May.

'She said she felt a little sorry for him, he was on his own, and he just seemed to have his black dog and his life at the time.

'She said that they've known him since 2013 and states that he works doing garden maintenance to several properties.

'She states that Brian and Rob would read racing papers on Saturday mornings and choose horses for the day and have a little bet.

'Sometimes if I cooked too much food I would save some and give him a dinner.

'In July 2025 she made a statement where she said she'd been having issues with Robert May since 2013.

'She then describes that for the last six weeks she's been noticing him standing in his flat window exposing himself.

'She states that Mr May has a curtain pole on the ground floor window which covers it with a net.

'I don't notice him remove the pole but when I turn into the village I can see him stood masturbating.

'She said this has happened approximately 30 times in the last six weeks.'

In a victim statement read out to court, Mrs Day said she now feels like an outcast in her own community.

The statement said: '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.

'I feel as though it has affected who I can trust around me as he was a friend.

'He moved in with nothing and I felt sorry for him, but he got worse over time.'

Speaking after the case daughter Susan, 54, of Kidderminster, said: 'I thought at one point the judge was going to send him down but I think the suspended sentence is fair enough.

'We were glad he has gone ahead with the restraining order which we requested and we hope this draws a line under it now.

'The main thing was to keep him away from mum so this could all stop and hopefully the restraining order achieves that.

'The compensation was to be paid back at £5 a week or £5 a month I think - my mum said "I'll be dead by the time he pays that off," so she's managed to maintain her sense of humour despite what she's been through.

'Our only concern is that from his flat he can still observe my mum's place, so we are hoping community housing might now decide to move him.

'His own defence barrister mentioned his mobility issues so perhaps he needs a more suitable property anyway. We would like to see him moved away if possible.'

Previously, Mrs Mason-Day, who waived her right to anonymity alongside her mother, said that her mother had been through more than a decade of 'hell'. 

She had decided to get a Ring doorbell at her mother's property after hearing about May's inappropriate behaviour. 

The camera had recorded May entering Mrs Day's garden and touching her bras.

The incident was reported to police and May was given words of advice. However, she said the situation worsened in July 2025. 

She said: 'A few days later, she realised it was Rob standing in his window naked. She said one morning while making a cup of tea she could see him and it frightened her as he had been close enough to be able to look directly into the kitchen.

'I wasn't sure at first, but in July 2025, we decided we would try and get it on camera.'

To gather evidence, Sue and her husband hid in the back of her mother's car while Margaret followed her usual routine.

She added: 'At the time my mum went out in the car, we watched Rob remove the net curtains and we started the video recording. It showed him completely naked, masturbating in his flat window.

May initially pleaded not guilty to the offence but later changed his plea on September 15.

Mrs Mason-Day said: 'It has been 11 years of hell for my mum. Rob was friends with my mum and dad. They would bring over meals for him as he was on his own. They felt sorry for him.

'My mum was always proud of her garden, but now she can't even sit out in it. It has been going on for too long.'