Southend: Man charged with affray and indecent exposure

A man has been remanded into custody after being charged with multiple incidents in Southend on Monday, 4 December.

Officers were called to Southchurch Road shortly before midnight following multiple reports of a man behaving in a threatening way.

The first report came in from the Tesco Petrol Station where a woman was threatened with a knife by a man who was attempting to get into her car. The victim was not injured but left shaken.

Shortly afterwards, the suspect approached another woman and exposed himself.

After making an arrest, two officers were assaulted.

Laurence Darch, 24 of Boscombe Road, Southend has since been charged with affray, possession of a bladed article, indecent exposure, two counts of assault against an emergency services worker and failure to provide a specimen.

He has been remanded into custody and will next appear at Southend Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 6 December.

Acting Chief Inspector Daniel Barnes said “I’d like to thank the victims in this case who have supported with our enquiries and assisted us in securing charges.

“This was a concerning series of reports and our officers responded within minutes to keep the public safe.

“Enquiries for this investigation remain ongoing.”