Man charged for lewd act

An embarrassed 39-year-old street hawker was charged in court yesterday after footage of him exposing himself at St George's Bay was sent to the police anonymously.

Inspector Mario Tonna told the court how he had received an anonymous letter with an attached DVD which showed the accused wearing a loose pair of shorts and exposing himself on the beach.

The act was repeated on several occasions throughout the month. The man co-operated fully with the police, pleaded guilty to the charges, and even turned down the opportunity to be represented by a lawyer.

Magistrate Lawrence Quintano acceded to the prosecution's request by appealing for his name not to be published, albeit leaving the decision to the media.

The man will be sentenced next month. He could face a three-month prison term and a fine of between Lm25 and Lm500. Inspector Tonna said he brought the man to justice for the court to teach him a lesson as a deterrent.

Magistrate Quintano questioned the inspector at length over the contents of the film as he did "not like watching this kind of footage".

Inspector Tonna explained that the film showed the man stand still and that most of the people on the beach ignored him. The film also showed a host of topless women but action could not be taken against them because they had probably left the country by the time the DVD reached the police.