Police Frustrated After Release of Indecent Exposure Suspect
CPS declined to charge him after arrest by local ward team
Police officer on patrol by Kew Bridge. Picture: Met Police
May 22, 2026
Local police officers have voiced strong disappointment after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) initially declined to authorise charges against a man arrested for an alleged exposure incident on Strand on the Green earlier this month — a decision that officers say left both them and the community deeply frustrated.
The incident took place on 6 May, when a man was reported to have exposed himself to members of the public. Officers arrested a suspect at the scene, secured CCTV footage and took witness statements. Despite what police believed to be clear evidence, the CPS declined to charge the man while he was in custody, forcing officers to release him.
The following day, the same individual was arrested again by the Brentford East Safer Neighbourhood Team for breaching prison release conditions. Yet once again, officers saw their efforts undone when the court released him.
The sequence of decisions caused significant concern among residents — and clear exasperation within the local policing team. In a detailed update through MetEngage, Sgt O’Donnell, who leads the Safer Neighbourhoods team, said he was “extremely disappointed” by the CPS’s initial refusal to charge. He confirmed that he had escalated the matter to senior Met leadership, CPS officials and local MP Andy Slaughter, who sits on Parliament’s Justice Committee.
Sgt O’Donnell said the case highlighted wider challenges created by changes under the Sentencing Act 2026, which he described as having complicated similar prosecutions. With no further evidence available at the time, officers were legally unable to re-arrest the suspect, despite their concerns.
Determined not to let the matter rest, Sgt O’Donnell personally reviewed the case, re-examined the CCTV and “trawled the available footage” until he identified a potential additional witness. That witness, who police say had experienced a “traumatic incident”, agreed to provide a statement — a development that finally allowed officers to reopen the investigation.
Armed with the new evidence, police launched a targeted search and located the suspect within hours on Friday 15 May. He was arrested and taken into custody.
A 52-year-old man of no fixed abode has now been charged with exposure and with assault on police, the latter relating to an incident that occurred while he was in custody. He appeared in court on Monday and has been remanded to prison pending a further bail application. Both the police and the CPS are opposing bail.
Sgt O’Donnell said he hoped the update would reassure residents that the team remains fully committed to tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), but he did not hide his frustration at the earlier decisions that allowed the suspect to walk free twice. He emphasised that the team would “relentlessly pursue those offenders within our cluster of wards” and thanked the victims and witnesses whose cooperation made the renewed arrest and charge possible.
Click here to sign up for Met Engage if you haven’t already done so.
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