Man, exposed himself on a bus Magistrates Court told

Patrick Gavin Porter (38), of Grange, Inch Island, was charged with indecent exposure and committing an act outraging public decency, by masturbating on a bus on June 22.

The Court heard allegations the defendant got on the Londonderry-bound bus in Monaghan. A woman was asleep on the back seat and when she woke up a short distance outside the city she noticed a man masturbating. The court heard allegations that he was leaning over the seat, looking at her whilst committing the act and his genitals were exposed.

The woman challenged Porter and he claimed he had done nothing wrong. She informed the bus driver of what happened and Porter was arrested at the Foyle Street Bus Depot.

During police interview Porter denied the offences and said it was complete rubbish. An investigating officer said the woman was very distressed by what happened and was not sure if she wanted to make a statement.

The officer said police had no choice but to release Porter on bail until they received CCTV footage from the bus. She said footage captured the entire 40-minute incident and gave a clear unobstructed view of Porter committing the alleged act. Porter answered his police bail earlier this week and when he was shown CCTV admitted it was him. However, he claimed that he had been drinking heavily and couldn’t remember it.

It was revealed Porter had two previous convictions for indecency offences and is on the sex offenders register.

The court also heard that the defendant has been interviewed for similar offences in the Republic of Ireland.

Defence solicitor Paddy MacDermott told the court: “Clearly this is a problem that he has and if he is remanded in custody he can’t get appropriate treatment”.

He added that the behaviour was “sporadic, random and doesn’t occur on a regular basis”.

The solicitor said Porter’s parents were able to provide a cash surety of £500 and urged the court to release Porter so he could get help.

District Judge Barney McElholm said he was not satisfied that the acts were as far apart and random as the defence would tend to suggest.

He said in the three years since Porter’s last indecency conviction he had done nothing whatsoever to attend to his problems.

Refusing bail, the judge told the court: “I don’t believe that anything will deter this man from further offending. This was an absolutely outrageous incident”.

Porter was remanded in custody and will appear in court again via videolink on September 25.