Britto Lorence, 27, has been sentenced for performing a sex act on an Emirates flight from Dubai to Newcastle in June last year, in front of a woman and her young son. The incident occurred on the long-haul journey, and Lorence was arrested upon arrival at Newcastle International Airport after being reported to cabin crew.
Plea change and sentencing
Lorence initially pleaded not guilty to one count of outraging public decency but changed his plea to guilty on the day his trial was due to start at Newcastle Magistrates' Court in May. However, he later applied to change his plea again, claiming he had been "put under pressure" to admit the offence.
During a hearing this week, District Judge Kate Meek refused the application to vacate his plea and sentenced him 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
Judge Meek stated: "Your guilty plea stands. You're convicted by your guilty plea and you fall to be sentenced. Your offence was a serious offence." She added that the offence was treated more seriously because the victims were passengers on a plane and could not leave the situation, and one of them was a very young child.
The judge acknowledged Lorence's guilty plea on the day of trial but noted he had tried to set it aside, so he would receive "a very small amount of credit."
Victim's account
At a previous hearing, prosecutor Brian Payne said the victim described Lorence having a pillow on his lap and initially appearing asleep. She then noticed he was acting indecently and raised the alarm by going to cabin staff. In a statement, the victim said she had been "deeply distressed" but tried not to get too alarmed for the sake of her son.
Lorence, of Abingdon Road, Middlesbrough, had a visa to work in the UK and was a cafe manager. He had previously completed a Masters degree at Teesside University in food science. He still denies committing the offence.
