A “mooning” flasher who shamelessly bared his backside in front of families during a bungled shoplifting mission has finally been jailed – after assaulting police and hurling racist abuse at an officer.
Prolific thief James Cordier pulled down his trousers during his “disgraceful” antics in the shop – and a judge branded the incident “not amusing” in the least.
Cordier, 37, of Exmouth Street, west Hull, was originally spared prison after he admitted an offence of exposure at the Smyths Toys store in Oak Road in the city on June 4 last year. He also admitted stealing two packs of pens from WH Smith in Prospect Centre, Hull, on August 25.
But his luck finally ran out at Hull Crown Court when he was jailed after admitting assaulting a police officer as an emergency worker and using racially aggravated threatening words or behaviour towards an officer on April 15 this year. He admitted breaching a suspended prison sentence and breaching a community order.
Thomas Theakston, prosecuting, said that police were alerted by a member of the public to an ongoing incident at the junction of Beverley Road and Pendrill Street, Hull. Cordier was being very loud and he was shouting. He was arrested but continued to shout and behave in an angry and aggressive way, including pushing back against an officer.
He was put in the back of a police van but he pulled his head back, puckered his mouth and spat towards the officer. Cordier was taken to Clough Road police station. He hurled a series of racist insults at an officer.
Cordier had convictions for 74 previous offences between 2002 and this year, including disorderly behaviour in 2005 and 2007, two offences of assaulting police in 2007 and assault in 2009. Cordier had been given an 18-month suspended prison sentence in June 2023 for offering to supply Class A drugs and acquiring criminal property.
He had been given a one-year community order, with 120 hours’ unpaid work and five days’ rehabilitation, at Grimsby Crown Court on January 15 this year for exposure and shoplifting offences. He was in breach of the suspended sentence and the community order.
Samantha Laws, mitigating, said that Cordier had not done any of the unpaid work imposed under the community order. He had suffered leg ulcers and mobility problems, which caused difficulties with doing the work, but he had recently started working with the probation service and a drugs agency.
At the time of the offences, he was taking prescribed diazepam but he was left feeling “totally out of it” and he “wasn’t in control of himself” at the time. “He acknowledges that’s no excuse for doing what he did,” said Miss Laws. “He has addressed his offending behaviour.
“He is very upset by what he has done. He describes himself as ‘stupid’ for what he has done. He doesn’t describe himself as a racist. He is from South Africa.”
Cordier was taking diazepam and he was on a reducing methadone prescription. “He can’t wait to get off that methadone and live what he describes as a clean lifestyle,” said Miss Laws. “He does not drink.”
Cordier, who had been on bail, was jailed for 10 months. The sentence included a consecutive four months for breaching the suspended sentence.
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Judge Alexander Menary said that Cordier used “unpleasant and vile” racist language towards a police officer. “It was disgraceful,” said Judge Menary. “The time has come when second and third chances have run out, I’m afraid. Only an immediate sentence of imprisonment can be justified.”
The previous hearing at Grimsby Crown Court in January was told that there were children with their parents when Cordier was apprehended by staff at the toy store on June 4 last year. He took down his trousers, bent over and exposed his backside and private parts.
He also admitted going, on August 25, to the WH Smith store, where he stole two Parker Pens with a total value of £60. Cordier was later identified and arrested and he confirmed that it was him.
Judge Gurdial Singh told the earlier hearing that Cordier exposed his backside after going out stealing but the fact that he was “mooning” at the staff in the store was not amusing. “It was disgraceful behaviour,” said Judge Singh.