AN alleged serial flasher is accused of exposing himself to 22 young girls walking home from school over a nearly two-year period, only stopping when he was arrested.
Peter James Bowman, 56, of Wallsend, appeared in Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday where he pleaded not guilty to 44 charges, including 19 counts of intentionally do sexual act with child aged between 10 and 16, three counts of carrying out a sexual act without consent and 22 counts of stalking.
Mr Bowman, who remains on strict conditional bail, will next appear in Newcastle District Court in July to get a trial date.
Mr Bowman is accused of exposing himself to 22 schoolgirls - aged between 11 and 17 - at Hamilton, Hamilton South, Merewether, Newcastle West and Cooks Hill between November, 2021 and October, 2023, according to court documents.
The alleged serial flasher is accused of targeting teenage girls walking home from school in pairs or in groups.
According to court documents, Mr Bowman allegedly exposed his genitals to two 11-year-old girls at Hamilton on the afternoon of November 24, 2021.
He is accused of then exposing himself to two girls, aged 14 and 15, at Hamilton South on May 3, 2022.
Mr Bowman then allegedly exposed himself to four girls, aged 14 and 15, at Hamilton in January, 2023 and allegedly struck again in July, exposing himself to three 14-year-old girls at Merewether.
And then again in August, 2023, Mr Bowman is accused of exposing his genitals to four girls, aged 13 and 14, at Merewether and then four more girls, aged 14 and 15, during two separate incidents at Newcastle West and Cooks Hill on the same afternoon in September.
Detectives had formed Strike Force Fitzwater to investigate the numerous flashing reports and uncovered CCTV showing the alleged flasher and his vehicle.
And on October 3 last year - three days before police closed in and arrested Mr Bowman in Merewether - the 56-year-old is accused of exposing himself to three more girls at Cooks Hill.
Detectives were patrolling Cooks Hill and looking for the flasher on October 6 when they followed a car to Robey Street, Merewether and arrested Mr Bowman.
He was granted bail the next day on a number of conditions, including a $5000 surety, daily reporting to police and a curfew.
He was also banned from entering the suburbs of Newcastle, Newcastle East, Newcastle West, Bar Beach, Merewether, Cooks Hill, Hamilton South and The Junction.
