The convicted flasher called the charity’s helpline dozens of times from behind bars
A serving prisoner called a charity helpline, said his postcode was “BUM HOLE” and began performing sex acts while on the phone to staff. Carl Fahy rang Age UK and subjected call handlers to the lewd behaviour on more than 50 occasions while he was locked up in jail.
His sick actions led to him receiving a tap on the shoulder as he was walking out of jail and being immediately put back behind bars. A judge today told the convicted flasher: “This behaviour must stop.”
Liverpool Crown Court heard this afternoon, Thursday, that Fahy was serving a sentence at HMP Risley in Warrington when he phoned Age UK at total of 54 times between February 15 and 21 this year. During these calls, the 35-year-old, formerly of Garswood Old Road in St Helens, “could be heard to be masturbating and making sexual grunting noises”.
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Oliver Saddington, prosecuting, described how the pervert would only speak to female members of staff whose names he would repeat throughout the bizarre exchanges. He added: “It is the crown’s case that his only intention was to obtain sexual gratification by talking with those on the other end of the line.”
One woman, who the ECHO has chosen not to name, recalled how Fahy initially sounded “distressed and upset” in one call before she realised that his “breath had changed and he was masturbating”. During another, he responded to a request for his postcode from the same victim, who was working from home at the time, by stating that it was “BUM HOLE”.
It was later established that the contact had been made from the phone located within his prison cell. Fahy was arrested on February 21 as he was being released from the jail.
He has a total of 56 previous convictions for 82 offences dating back to 2004 and including 28 for harassment, public order offences and breaching restraining orders. The defendant was convicted of exposure in March 2023 before being handed six months for outraging public decency in September last year.
Philip Clemo, defending, told the court that his client had suffered from severe mental health issues, although these had since “greatly improved”. He added: “He does feel like he has been making some genuine progress.
“He has been living a far more healthy life. He has been away from alcohol and drugs and he is realising the benefits of working out and being healthy. He wants to put himself in more positive surroundings and to move on.”
Fahy admitted harassment and two malicious communications offences. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, he was handed 14 months in prison.
However, he has already served eight months in custody on remand and will therefore be released in the near future. Sentencing, Judge David Potter said: “The advice line is there to assist vulnerable and elderly people at time of crisis. They provide an essential, vital public service. They can afford to do well without people such as you ringing them maliciously and doing so for the purposes of sexual gratification.”
Fahy interrupted at this stage and said “I’m sorry judge, I didn’t know this”, before his counsel told him to “be quiet and listen”. Judge Potter then continued: “At least one of them was working from home, and that was a violation of her own environment.
“You deliberately targeted these people and abused the helpline for sexual gratification, abusing the use of the telephone you had in prison. You clearly caused distress to the female members of staff, who felt violated.
“This is, of course, against a background of you suffering from significant mental health issues. Fortunately, and to your credit, that has improved. You have to be careful and must understand that if you engage in any of this sort of behaviour again, the sentences will continue to get longer and longer.
“You have served that sentence and your release will be imminent, either today or very soon after today. Make sure that you stick to the assurances you have given to the court today that this behaviour will stop. It must stop.”
