An Enniskillen man convicted of repeatedly exposing himself and performing sexual acts while delivery drivers brought Domino’s Pizza to his home can now be identified.
Earse Crudden previously claimed he would self-harm if named in connection with the offenses committed in 2018.
Crudden (38), of Drumbawn Close, Drumclay, appeared at Enniskillen Magistrates’ Court in February 2019 where he was formally charged with three counts of exposure.
This involved him intentionally exposing himself, intending for someone to see him and be alarmed or distressed, on dates in June and July 2018.
He denied all charges from the outset and the protracted proceedings that followed, including a contested hearing to be postponed on the day it was due to take place in July 2019.
He would finally be heard the following October, during which a defense attorney informed the court that he would not be calling witnesses, having agreed that the case could be decided on the record.
This was a huge relief for the victims, who had appeared in court but were allowed to leave.
Crudden declined to testify.
After reviewing the documents, the judge entered convictions on all counts, noting, “The evidence is surprisingly against the defendant.”
Deeming the offenses extremely serious, the judge adjourned for the pre-sentence reports.
Upon his return, the court heard that the defendant was a regular customer of Domino’s Pizza, who often had them delivered to his home.
He placed an order on July 1, 2018 and when the delivery driver duly showed up, he was met at the door by Crudden, who was “naked from the waist down and in an excited state”.
The driver reported the matter, adding that a similar situation had occurred the previous week, also during the delivery of a pizza.
On this occasion, the door to Crudden’s house was ajar and he was observed wearing only a T-shirt and performing a sexual act.
Shocked, the driver left the scene. He then collected himself and returned with the pizza, which Crudden later claimed he had not ordered.
After discussing what happened with colleagues, another driver described a similar experience.
While delivering a pre-ordered pizza, the second driver observed Crudden performing a sex act while sitting on the stairs completely naked and making no effort to cover up.
He was arrested and eventually spotted in an identity process by the two victims.
Although the defense attorney acknowledged that this was a deeply distressing encounter for the delivery drivers, it was pointed out that no women or children were involved and that the victims were instead ” robust adult men”.
The judge remarked: “It was very serious and very upsetting for the victims. What makes it more serious is that there were multiple incidents and more than one casualty.
He decided that a period of supervision was “essential to protect members of the public”.
A nine-month probation order was imposed, but no sexual offense prevention order (SOPO) was sought, and Crudden was not required to sign the sex offender register.
