00:00I'm here outside Maidstone Crown Court where 23-year-old Lewis Godfrey was sentenced to five
00:06months prison, suspended for 15 months and 100 hours of unpaid community work after he was found
00:13guilty of one count of indecent exposure back in February. The court heard that around mid-morning
00:20on the 8th of January 2024, Mr Godfrey followed a woman from Raynham Shopping Centre past the
00:26Healthy Living Centre and towards the post office. He continued to follow her as she walked along
00:31church path before overtaking her and then exposing himself in front of her in an alleyway.
00:37Despite being convicted, Mr Godfrey continues to maintain his innocence instead insisting
00:43he stops to relieve himself. Prosecuting Pietro Matarazzo said because of this denial the
00:49defendant can't be said to show any case of remorse for his actions in the case but mitigating
00:55James Harrison said that Mr Godfrey from Canvey Island in Essex is of good character and hard
01:00working with endeavours to move out of his family home and live with his girlfriend and their
01:04children. An impact statement from the victim that was read in court said, I was a confident
01:10and independent woman. Since that day that confidence has been knocked. I now feel vulnerable
01:15in situations where I never did before. I do not like men walking behind me. If a man is
01:21behind me, I immediately question his intentions. I cross the road, change direction or do whatever
01:26I can to avoid having a man walk behind me. I hate that I feel this way. I hate that
01:32something
01:32has been taken from me that I simply can't get back. It's been just over two years since
01:38the offence and I still feel this way. I hope in time that this insecurity will fade but at
01:43present it remains a part of my daily life. Sentencing, Judge St John Stephen said it must have been a
01:50terrifying
01:51experience for Mr Godfrey's victim who was just going about her daily business that morning in
01:56Marina. Addressing Mr Godfrey he said, you still haven't come to terms with the offence that you've
02:02been convicted of. I still can't understand how you maintain your innocence. The effect on the victim
02:08has been significant. She described herself as being confident and independent but now feels vulnerable
02:14when walking alone. She stood up for herself and every woman who has been followed and been frightened
02:19and violated as you did. She should be proud of her strength to do that. She was believed in the
02:25court process and she should take that away and start to rebuild her life. As well as his sentence
02:31given on Thursday the 7th of May, Mr Godfrey also received a seven-year restraining order against the
02:38victim and her husband and ordered to pay £500 in compensation. Megan Shaw for Kame TV in Maidstone.
