Horrified family spotted 80-year-old man stark naked on the Tarka Trail

An 80-year-old man man who was spotted by a woman and two children standing stark naked with his hands on his hips on a Tarka Trail path has been forced to sign the sex offenders register. Victor Wadham, of Little Moor Close, West Yelland, was found guilty of exposure after standing trial at North Devon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. The court heard from a woman who had been out walking on the Tarka Trail near Yelland with her step-daughters, aged seven and nine, at around 11am on Saturday August 31.



The woman said she had left the main Tarka Trail to take a grass path when she spotted a topless elderly man crouched down in the grass around 20 metres ahead. She told the court that she was immediately alarmed so decided to hang back for a few minutes. She then described how the man stood up while looking in her direction, and she realised he was completely naked. She said: “It became clear he was naked when he turned around and I could see his buttocks, I just thought ‘oh my God he’s naked’.” The court heard how Wadham walked away from the family while “scratching his buttocks purposefully” and then turned back towards them and stood with his hands on his hips.

After around five minutes, the woman returned to the main Tarka Trail where she told a passing cyclists what she had seen and called the police. A police interview with Wadham was read aloud to the court, in which it was stated the children had confirmed to the officer at the scene they had seen Wadham’s genitals. Officer Andrew Burrell, who went to the incident, said when he approached Wadham, he said he had been sunbathing and wanted to get an all-over tan. Officer Burrell told Wadham that the path was not an appropriate place to sunbathe and he should get dressed and leave.



However, in a police interview, Wadham, who suffers from a number of health problems, said he had been out on a bike ride and had wet himself after removing his catheter the previous day. He said: “I soaked my trousers and pants, and I couldn’t fit my bike through the gate onto the main path so I decided to have a rest and try and dry my clothes.” He insisted he had not seen the woman and children, however she said she did not see how that was possible. During interview Wadham was asked why he had told officer Burrell he was sunbathing, which he denied, and if he had taken his clothes off for sexual gratification, which he also denied. Wadham was found guilty of exposure and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for a period of five years. He was also fined £270, and ordered to pay £250 in court costs and a £25 victim surcharge.