A 73-year-old man who repeatedly exposed himself from his window and entered his widowed neighbour’s garden to touch her underwear has escaped immediate imprisonment.
Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court heard that 79-year-old Margaret Day was also subjected to a stream of offensive text messages from Robert May.
When questioned by police, May claimed he had been rubbing Deep Heat into painful joints and suggested that a fallen curtain had accidentally exposed him while he was at his flat window.
However, prosecutors said he had carried out the behaviour in front of the window more than 30 times. He was eventually identified after Mrs Day’s daughter, Sue Mason-Day, installed a camera at the Worcestershire housing complex to document what was happening.
Mrs Mason-Day, 54, said her mother had suffered “years of hell”. The harassment began while her father, Brian, was still alive and continued following his death.
She said May had sent messages including “show me your breasts” before allegedly escalating to openly touching himself while naked and visible from his flat.
May was given a 27-month suspended prison sentence at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court, meaning he avoided immediate jail.
He had previously admitted committing an act of outraging public decency.
Robert May was filmed standing naked at his window
Sue Mason-Day installed a Ring doorbell at her mother’s home, capturing Robert May, pictured, entering the garden and touching her bras
Robert May arrives at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday
During sentencing, District Judge Ian Strongman said May continued to deny wrongdoing despite having entered a guilty plea.
The judge said the incidents took place during June and early July, after Mrs Day reported seeing May naked and clearly visible through the window of his flat on numerous occasions.
Mrs Day believed he was masturbating, the court heard.
After learning of the conduct, her daughter arranged for it to be recorded so the family could provide evidence and make a formal complaint to police.
When interviewed, May insisted he had done nothing improper and said his health problems required him to apply Deep Heat to his painful joints.
But after officers showed him the footage, he was forced to accept that the video did not show him applying cream, the judge said.
May nevertheless maintained that the incident was accidental, claiming the curtain had fallen down.
Judge Strongman rejected the explanation, describing it as “a blatantly nonsensical account”.
Margaret Day pictured with her daughter Sue outside Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court
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.
Margaret Day, 79, and her daughter Sue Mason-Day, 54
‘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.’
