Geoffrey Cowan: Grafton man guilty of exposing himself in front of children outside Grafton Food Emporium

A drunk North Coast senior was told he was “putrid” after he “smirked”, exposed himself to three kids as young as four and declared “I bet they would like some of this”.

Cowan exposed himself to three kids and made disgraceful comments outside of The Grafton Food Emporium on Pound St in Grafton.

A drunk North Coast senior “smirked” and deliberately exposed himself to three children aged as young as four after he urinated on the footpath in public.

Grafton man Geoffrey Cowan told the kids and their father “I bet they would like some of this” and one of the children, a disabled 11-year-old girl, was a “good sort”.

Geoffrey Cowan pleaded guilty.

The 74-year-old man pleaded guilty to behaving in an offensive manner near a public place and exposing himself within view of a public place.

Both offences occurred outside Grafton Food Emporium about 6:30pm on February 18.

The dad, his partner and the children aged four, 11 and 16 spotted Cowan, who was not known to them, as they were waiting in a car out the front of the shop.

Cowan was “heavily intoxicated” and urinating on the footpath with his genitals in clear view, police state in court documents.

The dad yelled: “You’re a putrid human being. You need to cover yourself up and get back on your bike.”

The court heard Cowan copped a couple of punches from a teen for his behaviour.

Cowan walked over and stood beside the car “with his penis still exposed”.

When the father told the elderly man children were present and to cover himself, Cowan “smirked” and replied: “I bet they would like some of this”, Grafton Local Court heard.

Police state the 16-year-old child then punched Cowan in the head.

The partner noticed Cowan’s behaviour and said: “What are you doing? She’s only 11 and disabled”.

Cowan kept at it and said: “Well, she is a good sort for 11.”

The teen punched Cowan again, leaving him with a deep cut above his left eye.

Geoffrey Cowan outside court.

In court on Monday, defence lawyer Joe Fahey conceded the offending was “distasteful”.

He told the court Cowan had a problem with alcohol and lived with significant health issues, including lung cancer.

Magistrate Juliana Crofts described Cowan’s actions as in the “mid-range” of seriousness when compared to similar offending.

She told the court he was convicted of drink-driving in the past, but did not have a record of similar public exposure offending.

Cowan was convicted and sentenced to a 12-month community correction order.