Warwickshire man jailed for exposing himself to a shopkeeper

37-year-old Ioan Diaconu also threatened to 'kill' them.

Author: Ben CartwrightPublished 15th Jun 2023

A man who threatened to kill a Rugby shopkeeper before taking to the streets with his pants around his ankles has been jailed for three months.

On Sunday, 11 June, officers rushed to the town centre to respond to reports of 37-year-old Ioan Diaconu causing damage and being threatening.

Diaconu, of Harrowell Close, was promptly arrested and it was quickly established that he had first threatened to kill a shopkeeper before causing damage to some glass.

He had then left the shop and dropped his shorts and pants to his ankles to expose himself, waving at the same time.

When officers arrived he attempted to run – but was caught after a very short foot chase.

In his police interview Diaconu expressed remorse, but claimed he did not remember much of the incident because he had consumed two beers.

Though he did state that he may have got angry because he did not like the manner in which the shopkeeper looked at him.

He was charged with Exposure, Criminal Damage and Causing Harassment/Alarm/Distress.

Diaconu was sentenced to twelve weeks in prison on Tuesday (13 June).

Rugby-based PC Boote said: “Diaconu’s behaviour was utterly bizarre, as was his claim that drinking two beers had rendered him so profoundly drunk that he thought exposing himself would settle a dispute with a shopkeeper.

“In his interview he told us he has no idea why he keeps doing this and, frankly, we are at a loss too.

"This is extremely concerning behaviour that causes a lot of distress to the victims and we will not tolerate it on the streets of Rugby.

“I welcome this sentence. It will hopefully give Diaonu enough time to reflect on his actions and to understand that the general public have a right to not be subjected to his odd behaviour.”

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