Britto Lorence, 27, has been sentenced for outraging public decency after performing a sex act on an Emirates flight from Dubai to Newcastle in June last year. The incident occurred while he was seated beside a woman and her young son.
The court heard that the woman noticed Lorence with a blanket over his lap, performing a sex act. She reported the incident to cabin crew, and Lorence was arrested upon arrival at Newcastle International Airport.
Plea change and sentencing
Lorence initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea to guilty on the day his trial was due to start in May. However, he later applied to change his plea again, claiming he felt "put under pressure" to admit the offence.
During a hearing this week, District Judge Kate Meek refused the application and sentenced Lorence to an 18-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £914 in costs and a victim surcharge.
Judge's remarks
The judge said: "Your guilty plea stands. You're convicted by your guilty plea and you fall to be sentenced. Your offence was a serious offence."
"It is also going to be treated more seriously because the people affected by it were passengers on a plane and they couldn't absent themselves from the situation and one of those people sat next to you was a very young child."
"You were masturbating and the harm that was caused indicates a community order. I acknowledge you pleaded guilty on the day of your trial but you have then done all you can to try and set aside that plea so you will receive a very small amount of credit."
Background
At a previous hearing, Brian Payne, prosecuting, said Lorence had been seated beside the victim and her child on the flight on June 2 last year. The victim described Lorence having a pillow on his lap and initially appearing to be asleep, but then spotted him acting indecently.
In a statement, the victim said she had been "deeply distressed" by the incident but had tried not to get too alarmed on the flight for the sake of her son.
Lorence, of Abingdon Road, Middlesbrough, had a visa to work in the UK and was a manager of a cafe. He had previously completed a Masters degree at Teesside University in food science. He still denies committing the offence.
