Solicitor convicted of flashing schoolgirls for years while jogging—now struck off and disgraced
A senior West Midlands solicitor has been struck off after exposing himself to schoolgirls for years while jogging in Dorset. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) branded his conduct “disgraceful and totally unbecoming” of a solicitor.
Mark Pittaway, a director at Thursfields Legal and compliance officer for legal practice and money laundering, targeted young girls on their school routes between 2018 and 2021. His vile offences occurred in the Portland area, where his repeated flashing left victims traumatised.
Pittaway, who was admitted as a solicitor in 1986, self-reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in October 2021 after being charged. One month later, Thursfields suspended him and informed the SRA of the charges. Pittaway resigned from the firm shortly afterwards.
Embed from Getty ImagesFollowing a trial at West Dorset Magistrates Court in March 2022, Pittaway was convicted of five indecent exposure offences. The case centred heavily on harrowing testimonies from two school-aged witnesses who described his repeated indecent acts as they walked to and from school.
In a deeply disturbing victim impact statement, one 14-year-old girl said: “Nearly every day for two years, this man would flash his genitals to me. I was in school. Walking to and from school. It was horrible. I would go to school scared and frightened of what will happen to me.”
Pittaway initially offered a weak defence, claiming that any exposure was accidental and caused by the length of his jogging shorts. He insisted that he must have unknowingly hitched them up to scratch his groin area, exposing himself without realising. However, CCTV footage revealed otherwise. The tribunal noted that Pittaway eventually conceded his genitals were visible, though he continued to deny intent.
The court rejected his explanations entirely. The chair of the bench determined that Pittaway deliberately selected his jogging routes and times to encounter vulnerable female victims. His actions were calculated, repeated, and predatory.
Pittaway received a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. As part of his sentence, he must complete 250 hours of unpaid work and observe a 12-week electronically monitored curfew from 9pm to 9am.
In addition, a sexual harm prevention order was imposed for five years, later extended to 10. The strict conditions ban Pittaway from exercising in public unless he wears knee-length trousers or shorts with no front fastenings. He is also prohibited from jogging during school commuting hours or at any time within sight of school premises between Monday and Friday.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority highlighted the seriousness of Pittaway’s conduct, stressing its prolonged nature, deliberate targeting of schoolgirls, and his appalling lack of insight into his behaviour.
Pittaway admitted he had failed to uphold public trust and confidence in the legal profession and had acted without integrity. The SRA concluded that his offences severely damaged the reputation of the profession.
The tribunal firmly declared that his criminal behaviour directly impacted his professional standing. “This was not a case in which Mr Pittaway’s behaviour had little or no nexus with his professional life,” the SDT stated. “His criminal conviction was entirely incompatible with maintaining the reputation of the profession in the eyes of the public. The serious circumstances of this case required no lesser sanction than strike off.”
With his disgrace now public, Pittaway’s once-respected legal career lies in absolute ruin.
