A man has accepted a charge of outraging public decency at Leicester Magistrates Court after being seen having sex on a Ferris wheel at Download Festival in June.
Nottinghamshire man Innes Miller, 33, pleaded guilty to the offence following the incident at the festival on June 13.
Footage of the encounter, which took place shortly before headliners Guns N’ Roses took the main stage on the Saturday evening was widely circulated over social media after the festival. And it was reported in court that Miller learned of the public outcry after his boss rang him to tell him, 'You’re all over the internet'."
Miller had initially refused to comment when questioned by police, but pleaded guilty during his court appearance yesterday, September 10.
The complaint against Miller was made by a woman who had taken her son for a ride on the Ferris wheel at the same time.
The Nottingham Post reports that prosecutor Sally Bedford told the court, "At lunchtime on the Saturday, [the witness] decided to take her young son on the Ferris wheel.
"Her son, who has autism, looked round and said, 'Oh my God, what are they doing?'
"She looked and could see the woman standing up but bent over, and her head was hanging to the side, and the man was behind, and they were clearly engaging in sexual intercourse.
"Other people with children were having picnics, and a number of people's attention was drawn to what was going on.
"[The witness] said she was mortified. She said her son was in shock and since the incident, her son's behaviour has changed."
When contacted by police, the woman involved in the incident, who had met Miller earlier on the day in question, was apologetic and admitted the offence immediately, and therefore was not prosecuted.
Miller, who is studying civil engineering at Nottingham College, was fined £80 and ordered to pay £85 court costs and a £32 victim surcharge. His lawyer told the court that he was "thoroughly ashamed and embarrassed" about the "moment of madness".
