A 55-year-old man, John Paul Murphy, has been handed a unique restriction as part of his sentence after he was found guilty of indecent exposure incidents on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). The court ordered a “short shorts ban” for Murphy, preventing him from wearing short shorts on public transport. This follows his repeated actions of exposing his penis to women while staring at them on trains across East and south east London.
The case against Murphy was presented at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court, where he pleaded guilty to three counts of indecent exposure. The incidents in question occurred earlier this year. The first incident took place on January 28, when Murphy was on the DLR between Greenwich and Heron Quays. The victim, a woman, reported that Murphy sat across from her, exposing his genitals through the leg of his short shorts and staring at her.
Two subsequent incidents followed in April. On April 15, a second victim encountered Murphy on the DLR between Canning Town and Greenwich. He was wearing short shorts without underwear and exposed himself to her while staring. Then, on April 29, a third victim boarded the DLR and found Murphy sitting across from her. He was wearing short black shorts and was reported to have his erect penis out through one of the short legs. In this case, the victim noted that he appeared to be angling his phone as if taking photos of her.
The court heard victim impact statements expressing the distress caused by Murphy’s actions. One victim expressed her frustration, stating, “It still angers me to this day that this still happens to women when they’re going through their normal day to day business. It has to stop.” Another victim shared her desire to move through her personal and work life without the fear of being sexually harassed.
Representing Murphy, Lloyd Moody explained that his client had admitted to his actions and had taken steps to address his offending behavior, including enrolling in a course designed to prevent this type of crime.
Following careful deliberations, the magistrates’ bench, led by Amanda Gibbon, issued a one-year community order for Murphy, requiring him to complete 60 hours of unpaid work. Additionally, Murphy was given a five-year sexual harm prevention order, which mandates that he wear trousers or shorts of at least knee length when using public transport. He was also directed to pay £85 in prosecution costs and a £114 surcharge to support victim services.
The imposition of a “short shorts ban” is an unusual yet specific measure designed to address Murphy’s pattern of indecent exposure on public transportation and contribute to a safer environment for passengers.
