Camden junior tennis coach Paul John Cottrill sentenced for masturbating in car near school

After a junior tennis coach was caught by police sitting in his car near a school pantless at night, he admitted he had stopped in the carpark for “dinner and a bat”.

A Camden junior tennis coach who was caught by police masturbating in his car near a school failed in his bid for a non-conviction with the magistrate labelling the behaviour as “disturbing”.

Paul John Cottrill, 41, fronted Picton Local Court on Friday for sentencing after pleading guilty to behaving in an offensive manner in a public place near a school, goods in personal custody suspected of being stolen, possession of unlawfully obtained goods and failing to comply with public health orders.

Court documents reveal that about 7pm on July 21, 2021 police were patrolling Camden when they entered Larkin Pl where a carpark backs behind a number of licensed premises and against St Paul’s Catholic Primary School.

Police sighted an old Holden Rodeo parked in isolation with no lights on so officers approached and noticed the vehicle windows to be fogged and a clearly shirtless figure in the driver’s seat.

The documents state that police saw Cottrill frantically try and put a jumper on and they asked him why he was there and he said: “I just left my mum’s place and came down here for a bite to eat”.

It was then police noticed he did not have any pants on, and he soon admitted to being at the location to have his dinner and masturbate.

The officers searched the car and found a large amount of female clothing including bras, underwear, singlets, and tights.

Paul John Cottrill.

The court documents state that Cottrill said they belonged to his ex from a few months ago and he was going to bin them, but he then later said she wouldn’t recognise them.

Cottrill then later admitted at the police station that: “I lied to you before they were in the garbage next to the skip bin, I took the bag in case I may find something I would have liked … once I went through the bag and saw the female clothing, one thing led to another and I started having a bat”.

On June 4, 2022, police again pulled Cottrill over again in Gregory Hills and found a large amount of female clothing in his possession. Court documents revealed he told police they were all rags but officers found them to be clean.

In a letter sent to court, Cottrill, a Catherine Field resident, asked the magistrate to consider a non-conviction for the offences.

“I feel ashamed to be standing in front of you today answering these charges and I am sorry for causing so much trouble for the police, the court system, my employer and my family,” Cottrill wrote.

“Coaching junior tennis would be virtually impossible with a criminal conviction.”

Cottrill’s lawyer Aaron Roberts asked the magistrate to consider a non-conviction as he did not have a criminal record.

“These offences have caused him a significant degree of embarrassment,” Mr Roberts said. “He understands You Honour fully what he has put in jeopardy … he‘s run the risk of receiving a criminal conviction for these offences.”

Mr Roberts said that although Cottrill was parked near a school, it was at night, and it was in an isolated location away from public view.

“It was conduct that no one was around to witness,” he said. ”I accept it’s behaviour that should not have occurred.”

Paul John Cottrill at Picton Local Court.

Mr Roberts said Cottrill finished school in Year 10 and has had a lengthy career in fencing and was of “prior good character”. He added that Cottrill had concerns about the impact of a conviction.

Magistrate Mark Douglass interjected and said while that might be the case, he had concerns about not recording one.

Mr Roberts then asked that in imposing a sentence, the magistrate take into account the early pleas.

In sentencing, Magistrate Douglass said there is a “disturbing psychological aspect that has been unexplained by the offender”. He said while it was not within school hours and it would have been dark, he was still found by “inquisitive police” within view of a school.

“Conducting himself in such a way raises real concerns,” Magistrate Douglass said.

“My view is without proper medical explanation, his behaviour in my view is disturbing. A conviction would act as a red flag that would notify of this particular person’s, at this particular point in time, disturbing behaviour. ”

He sentenced him to a conditional release order under supervision for 12 months. A conviction was recorded for all offences, except for the breach of Covid rules which was proved but dismissed.

Magistrate Douglass then addressed Cottrill directly and said he had taken into account the lack of criminal record.

“My view is that the disturbing behaviour has not been explained,” he said.

“I have an obligation to the community … to make sure the court intervenes in an appropriate way to deter you and deter others from committing such offences. Paul, you might not think there is an issue, I think there is.”