Man Charged after Strand-on-the-Green Exposure Incident
Police found extra witness after CPS initially refused to proceed
A police officer on patrol near Strand on the Green. Picture: Met Police
A man has been charged and remanded in custody following an alleged exposure incident on Strand on the Green earlier this month, after police secured additional evidence that allowed them to reopen the case.
The incident occurred on 6 May, when a man was reported to have exposed himself to members of the public. Officers arrested a suspect at the time, and the incident was captured on CCTV with witness statements taken. However, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) declined to authorise a charge while the man was in custody, and he was released.
The following day, the same individual was arrested again by the Brentford East Safer Neighbourhood Team for breach of prison release conditions, but was again released — this time by the court.
The decisions prompted concern among residents and local officers. In an update to the community, Sgt O’Donnell, who leads the local Safer Neighbourhoods policing team, said he was “extremely disappointed” by the initial CPS outcome and had raised the case with senior police leadership, CPS officials and local MP Andy Slaughter, who sits on Parliament’s Justice Committee.
According to Sgt O’Donnell posting on Met Engage, part of the difficulty stemmed from changes introduced under the Sentencing Act 2026, which he said had created challenges in similar cases.
With no further evidence available at the time, officers were unable to re-arrest the suspect. Sgt O’Donnell said he personally reviewed the case and “trawled the available CCTV”, eventually identifying and locating an additional witness.
The witness, who had experienced what police described as a “traumatic incident”, agreed to provide a statement. This new evidence enabled officers to launch a targeted search for the suspect.
Police located and arrested him within hours on Friday 15 May.
A 52-year-old man of no fixed abode has now been charged with exposure and assault on police, the latter relating to an incident that occurred while he was in custody. He appeared in court on Monday and was remanded to prison pending a further bail application, which both police and the CPS are opposing.
Sgt O’Donnell said he hoped the update would reassure residents that the team takes Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) extremely seriously.
“We will relentlessly pursue those offenders within our cluster of wards,” he said, adding his thanks to the victims and witnesses whose statements 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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