Man jailed over public sex act
A man who was caught having a sex act performed on him on Front Street in broad daylight has been jailed for ten days.Antwone Simons, 47, was the second person charged in the case.Last week, 30-year-old Kevin Mendonça pleaded guilty in Magistrates’ Court to behaving in an indecent manner in a public place with Simons and got the same sentence.Prosecutor Garrett Byrne told Magistrates’ Court yesterday that security officers spotted the pair on CCTV in the parking area by Number Six Shed on Front Street around 7.30pm on September 7.Both men touched each other’s genitals before Simons gestured to Mendonça to meet him further west along Front Street. Ten minutes later they were seen on a bench by the bird bath near the car park across from the Emporium.According to Mr Byrne, Mendonça then performed oral sex on Simons.The police were called, and the men were arrested. The prosecutor said: “At the time the police arrived, it was still daylight and Front Street was very busy. Members of the public were walking past these two gentlemen.”Simons lied to the police about his name, giving them the name of his twin brother.Later, when interviewed under caution, he admitted giving a false name, saying he was embarrassed.He also admitted receiving oral sex from Mendonça.Duty defence lawyer Oonagh Vaucrosson cited embarrassment as the reason Simons failed to turn up to court on Friday with Mendonça, meaning a warrant was issued for his arrest.In court yesterday, Simons admitted committing an act of indecency in a public place and giving false information to police.He has no previous convictions.When he sentenced Mendonça last week, Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner said: “This is an offence which shows blatant disregard for the decency of people around you, regardless of your lifestyle or sexuality.”Yesterday, he told Simons: “There’s no need for me to say any more. The facts speak for themselves.”