Joseph Mafe, 53, of Empire Square South, Bermondsey, was sentenced to 10 months in jail at Inner London Crown Court on Wednesday, March 6, after pleading guilty to two counts of exposure and breaching a suspended sentence. The court heard shocking details of his repeated offences, including his lewd behaviour from his balcony.
Mafe, described as a drug addict, had previously been spared jail in 2022 for multiple incidents of flashing but found himself back in court after breaching a suspended sentence last autumn. The breach occurred when he engaged in a two-day drug binge involving alcohol, crystal meth, and GBL, substances commonly associated with drug-fueled parties.
During the hearing, prosecutor Mark Gadsden recounted how Mafe exposed himself to passers-by from his balcony on September 16. He shouted obscenities and thrust his genitals towards women, making lewd gestures. Witnesses described his penis as “large” and heard it slapping against his body as he danced provocatively.
Despite a witness threatening to call the police, Mafe continued his indecent behaviour until officers arrived and arrested him. Remarkably, on the day of his sentencing hearing, Mafe was arrested again for repeating the same offensive acts.
During the trial, Mafe vehemently denied the witness’s claim that they could hear his genitals slapping against his body, but Judge Darren Reed dismissed his protests. Reed condemned Mafe’s actions as reckless and fueled by drug use, rather than mental health issues, as claimed by the defense.
Defence counsel Danielle Buckett argued that Mafe’s actions were a “cry for help,” citing his struggles with paranoid schizophrenia and lack of support from mental health services. However, Judge Reed showed little sympathy, emphasizing Mafe’s lack of remorse and taking no responsibility for his actions.
Mafe’s suspended sentence was activated to run concurrently with a new 26-week sentence, totalling 40 weeks in prison. The judge’s scathing rebuke serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of such offensive behaviour and the need for rehabilitation in cases involving substance abuse and mental health issues.
