Jail for man guilty of sex act in cell at police station

Jun 25 2009 Hamilton Advertiser

A LANARKSHIRE man was this week jailed for masturbating in a police cell in front of female and male police officers.

Fifty-four-year-old James Smith was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register.

Smith, of Main Street, Wishaw, had pleaded guilty to a charge of breach of the peace when he appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Monday.

Smith had removed his trousers and underpants while being held in a cell in Motherwell Police Office on June 3 this year.

He then exposed himself and masturbated in an open cell in full view of two female police officers and a male custody support officer.

The charge stated that Smith knew the officers were at the cell door at the time.

The fiscal depute had told the court that officers saw Smith when they had been checking on him by opening the hatch on the cell door.

And his lawyer accepted that he continued to masturbate after the officers looked inside.

Smith’s previous convictions include a number of sexual offences.

Sentencing Smith, Sheriff Shiona Waldron said she was satisfied there was a significant sexual element to the offence.

She imposed a sentence of eight months’ imprisonment, and also placed him on the sex offenders’ register for seven years.