Jason Charles McNamara: Former nurse fined for masturbating in full car park

A former nurse fined for masturbating in his van was reported to police after three girls saw his vehicle rocking in a Molendinar car park. Read the full story here.

A former nurse has been fined for masturbating in a full car park at Molendinar.

A former nurse fined for masturbating in a car park was reported to police after children saw his vehicle rocking.

Jason Charles McNamara, 50, pleaded guilty when he appeared in the Southport Magistrates Court on July 15 to one count of indecent act in a public place.

The court heard McNamara had parked his van at the Molendinar car park and was masturbating in the driver’s seat on November 29, 2024.

Three girls were in the car next to him waiting for their mother when they noticed the van was shaking and thought they saw a man humping the steering wheel.

They told their mother who reported the vehicle to police.

McNamara was located by officers on February 18, 2025 where he told police he was the owner of the van. He said he was homeless and residing in the van at the time

The court heard he admitted to masturbating in the van and said he was likely intoxicated when the incident happened.

He agreed with police that the car park was full, but became upset when told about the three young children.

The court heard McNamara said he was very sorry and he was unaware of the children.

This statement was echoed by his lawyer from Legal Aid, who said the offending was committed during a difficult period in McNamara’s life.

The court heard McNamara had worked as a nurse for Queensland Health and Robina Hospital from 2009 and 2023 but left to take care of his grandmother after feeling burnt out.

After the death of his grandmother, stepfather and dogs in 2024, McNamara became homeless and started engaging in drug use for the first time of his life.

McNamara’s lawyer said her client was living out of his van at the time of the offence, has a limited recollection of the event and strongly denies he had any idea children were in the car next to him.

She said McNamara had taken steps toward rehabilitation and was living a drug free life.

She asked a conviction not be recorded as it would have a significant impact on his ability to re-register as a nurse if he made the decision to return to the profession.

Magistrate Dominic Brunello took into account McNamara’s full and frank confession to police but said it did not dismiss the seriousness of the offence.

“This is more than annoying conduct for people in a public place,” he said. “It’s confronting and gross.”

Mr Brunello said there were features that explained McNamara’s recklessness as a one-off and noted his circumstances at the time.

“It’s just an example of the myriad of ways life can take its twists and turns,” he said. “And we see this every day on the Gold Coast when we pull into car parks and there's a succession of vans. Some of them are Brazilian backpackers, others are middle-aged people who’ve got nowhere else to live.”

He said McNamara being on “the skids” at the time was no excuse but was an explanation why a person of good character acted the way he did.

He said he was of the view McNamara was a person of otherwise very good character.

McNamara was fined $750 with no conviction recorded.

Originally published as Jason Charles McNamara: Former nurse fined for masturbating in full car park