WARNING: Some of the details in this story are disturbing. Discretion is advised.
A judge has rendered a decision in the trial of a Surrey man accused of exposing himself in public.
Thomas Charles Cooper was found guilty of incident exposure.
He testified that in July 2022 that he changed in his vehicle at the Guildford Town Centre parking lot, stripping off his underwear and putting on a loose pair of shorts.
On Wednesday, Judge Jennifer Lopes found Cooper did that to purposefully expose his genitals inside the busy mall.
“I do not believe Mr. Cooper,” Lopes said in court. “Mr. Cooper’s evidence appeared to be rehearsed in that he was confident and clear in chief, but under cross-examination, his demeanour changed. He became unclear, came up with new details and mumbled uncertain answers.”
The victim in the case was in court on Wednesday but she cannot be identified because she alleges she was also victimized by Cooper when she was a minor.
“Somebody finally saw through his manipulation and his craftsmanship of lying, because he’s been doing it for so long,” the victim told Global News.
Mall surveillance video from July 2022 showed Cooper hiking up his shorts before sitting down.
His genitals were hanging down from his shorts and he looked down multiple times at his crotch, as seen on the video.
In 2014, Cooper pleaded guilty to one count of sexual interference.
At the time, he was also facing other sex charges but those charges were stayed.
Cooper was able to freely leave the court, but he will be back for his sentencing.
Indecent exposure carries with it a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
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