Harry Potter dwarf dodges prison after exposing himself to teen on train
A dwarf who appeared in the Harry Potter and Star Wars films has avoided a prison sentence for indecently exposing himself to a teenager on a train. Former pantomime star Nicholas Read was yesterday given a suspended 20-week jail term. Read, pictured, of Wade Close, Cheadle, was convicted of indecent exposure last month after a 17-year-old girl told Leicester Crown Court how the actor performed a sex act under the cover of a juggler's hat. Read, who has played both a Gringotts goblin and an Ewok warrior, was shown mercy by Recorder Richard Bond despite having previous convictions for sexual offences, including an incident in which he clambered into the bed of a stage manager and his girlfriend. The 40-year-old's previous convictions also included a series of explicit phone calls made to women from a hotel room as long ago as 1995. Passing sentence, Mr Bond said: "A relatively short sentence of imprisonment will not help you, and it certainly will not protect the public from your fantasies."
Read must now be supervised by the Probation Service, undertake a community sex offender group work programme and pay £500 towards court costs. Read was arrested on Saturday, October 16 after "trapping" his victim in a window seat on a train travelling between London and Leicester. Read and his victim were travelling on the 7.55pm St Pancras to Leeds service. Read sat down in the aisle seat next to the girl, and covering his lap with his bowler hat, he began to indecently touch himself for 30 to 40 minutes.
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Nicholas Read
After the hearing, Inspector Mark Clements, of British Transport Police, said: "Read's actions were deplorable. He targeted a young lone female, unable to move from her seat, who was too scared to speak, and was paralysed by fear."
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Comments
by Iffyminty
Sunday, July 31 2011, 5:08PM
“A relatively short sentence of imprisonment will not help you. Says it all really.”
by AndyG48
Sunday, July 31 2011, 4:41PM
“"Could you give us a description of the suspect ma'am" asked the policeman?
"Just a little pri*k, really" replied the victim.
"Yes but how tall was he rather than the size of his willy?" the policeman responded.
"i've just told you, just a little pri*k!"”
by nozza1985
Sunday, July 31 2011, 1:36PM
“It looks like a rod of justice. Only smaller.”
by focusboy
Sunday, July 31 2011, 12:46PM
“He's 40 years old. Maybe it's time he started to behave like an adult.”
by madmadpotter
Sunday, July 31 2011, 5:19AM
“He's not big and he's not clever”
by LordBeastly
Saturday, July 30 2011, 11:29PM
“He tossed his balls around in a juggler's hat and now come up short. Hrry Potter and Star Wars? It's a small world, I guess....”
by Longton101
Saturday, July 30 2011, 3:00PM
“Yes, I think I read somewhere that they used kids as Ewoks. Looking back at the standard of the film, you could tell as well, dreadful rubbish.”
by ObidiahFudge
Saturday, July 30 2011, 1:47PM
“The ewoks were from Return of the Jedi in 1983. If he is 40 now, he must have been 13 in 1983, seems a bit odd.”
by scfcscfc08
Saturday, July 30 2011, 12:29PM
“A relatively SHORT sentence of imprisonment will not help you, Hahahahaha
He was rehearsing for a role in 'Much Ado About Nothing'.”
by woodylol
Saturday, July 30 2011, 12:16PM
“He's a metrosexual”