British judge charged with indecent exposure

London, Mar 3: A senior British judge was charged today with indecently exposing himself on trains in London, police said.

British Transport Police said they had charged Lord Justice Stephen Richards, 56, with two counts of exposure following a decision by the Crown Prosecution Service.

''The charges stem from two separate incidents on trains in southwest London last year,'' a police spokesman said.

Richards was bailed to appear before Westminster magistrates court on March 8. Police said they would not comment further on the investigation.

The judge, from Wimbledon in southwest London, works at the Court of Appeal which oversees many high-profile cases.

Media reports said he recently sat on a case brought by the family of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes who was shot dead in July 2005 by police who mistook him for a suicide bomber.

The Judicial Communications Office said in a statement Richards was suspended until his case was finished.

Reuters