Former Warwick-Killarney man sentenced after female jogger sees him performing sex act at Riverwalk

A 40-year-old former Warwick-Killarney man was reported for a public sex act after he was found covered in baby oil in a camping chair with a ‘self-massaging device’ nearby, a court has heard.

A man who was perched fully naked on the banks of the Condamine at the Warwick River Walk, with his legs spread-eagled while masturbating has narrowly avoided a stint behind bars.
Anthony Wayne Brown was spotted by a 35-year-old female jogger as he performed the sex act on himself on a brisk winter’s morning in August last year.

The Warwick Magistrates Court was told the woman reported to police Brown looked at her as he performed the act, and then he got up and walked to his ute parked nearby, where she said leant on the bonnet as he continued the act while still looking at her.

The jogger made it to the other side of the river and noticed Brown was still masturbating and looking in her direction, so she contacted her husband who called police.

Police prosecutor Steve de Lissa told the court Brown was found by officers a short time later, with his legs mounted on each arm of a camping chair, covered in baby oil with a “a self-massaging device” in the pocket of his chair and his penis “semi-erect”.

An ice pipe was located in the console of his car.

Defence lawyer Hamish Chapman said though his client had an “unenviable drug history”, this offence was of such an unusual nature for Brown that a mental health assessment was carried out.

Mr Chapman said it was safe to infer drug use played a role in the lewd offence but said Brown reported having little memory of the incident.

The 40-year-old former Warwick and Killarney man was on a suspended jail sentence for drug trafficking at the time, and also on probation for separate offences of burglary with intention to commit an indictable offence and fraud.

Magistrate Julian Noud condemned Brown’s conduct on the riverbank, branding it “perverse, disgusting and vile”.

“This was a public place where it is known people jog on a path near the river,” he said.

“It is fortunate it was a Tuesday morning at 10.45am, as the place is known to have many children play sport there on a weekend.”

Mr Noud said it was a serious example of the type of offence, with an obvious element of “deliberateness”.

“When the woman went past you it is, I think, clear that you were probably aware of her presence. That didn’t stop you, and you continued your actions in the way that you have,” he said.

“Indeed, police had to be called and they located you sitting in the camp chair fully nude.”

Brown pleaded guilty to wilfully committing an indecent act in a public place, as well as two counts each of driving with meth in his system and possessing drug utensils, and one of contravening a probation order.

He was sentenced to two months’ jail, which was wholly suspended for two years. He was also fined $700 and disqualified from driving for four months.