A man who had sex on the ferris wheel at Download Festival has gone to court and revealed that he only found out that the incident had gone viral after receiving a call from his boss.
Earlier in the summer, Innes Miller, a 33-year-old civil engineering student met a woman at Download Festival, Leicestershire, UK. The pair were filmed having sex in one of the ferris wheel pods just before Guns ‘n’ Roses performed.
Prosecutor Sally Bedford revealed that the police became aware of the incident when a woman who was on the ferris wheel with her young autistic son spotted the couple’s intimate act. The woman involved was not prosecuted, but Miller was and pleaded guilty to all charges in court.
His boss called to say “You’re all over the internet”
Miller, already subject to a community order for a drug-driving offence at the time, had allegedly refused to share comments with the police. He was charged with outraging public decency.
As per NME, Bedford spoke about the negative effect on those who witnessed it. “[The witness] said she was mortified,” said Bedford. “She said her son was in shock and since the incident, her son’s behaviour has changed.”
Miller’s lawyer retorted that there “was no sinister intent to outrage public decency” and that the incident was the result of Miller being under the influence of alcohol. He also revealed that he only found out what happened when “his boss rang him to tell him, ‘You’re all over the internet’”.
His lawyer argued that this was “punishment enough” for Miller, who is “ashamed and embarrassed.” However, Chair of the bench Anne Cowan said the online video has “nothing to do with the courts”, and fined him £80, a further £85 in court costs, and a £32 victim surcharge.
Though having sex in public generally isn’t illegal in the UK, the Sexual Offences Act 2003 prohibits indecent exposure in public. If witnessed, the individuals involved can face fines of up to £5,000 or six months in prison.
For more on festivals, check out our coverage of Nature Festival urging attendees to “dress appropriately” after being mistaken for a nudist , or the two people dead at Burning Man.
