5 Men Arrested in Gay Sex Sting at Dublin, Ireland Department Store

Five men have been charged for public sex acts in the men’s bathroom at The Marks & Spencer on Mary Street in Dublin, Ireland, according to the Irish Examiner. The popularity of the gay cruising spot drew the attention of the department store’s staff and the local police, which set up a sting operation last month.

The most recent case to appear in court involved a 32-year-old a Brazilian-national living in Ireland on a visa. Gustavo Viturino pled guilty to public masturbation at the Dublin District Court. An officer of Ireland’s national police (Garda Siochana),  named James Smith told the court that he and another plain clothed officer witnessed Viturino masturbating in the store’s bathroom.

Arguing for a slap on the wrist, Viturino’s representation, Paddy McGarry, argued Viturino had not gone to the store to engage in sex. Viturino acknowledged he did end up in the bathroom trying to communicate with another man. Still, McGarry argued this case was not on the same level as some public indecency cases, and involved consenting adults.

Judge Bryan Smyth responded that shoppers who needed to use the facilities had not consented to viewing the sex act, saying, “What about the public shopping in Marks & Spencer and they go to the bathroom, and they are confronted with this?”

The judge declined to dismiss the charges and released Viturino on bail pending his sentencing in September.

Viturino’s case is the fifth in a two-week period. Four other men have been accused of lewd behavior in the store’s bathroom. One of the men pled guilty to masturbating and engaging in offensive conduct of a sexual nature for grabbing an undercover officer’s butt while exposing himself. His defense argued he had clearly “read the signals wrong.”

The other three (including a opposite-sex married father) were also charged with touching themselves in public in the presence of undercover officers. They were granted bail until they must appear in September to enter pleas, with the stipulation that they stay away from the Marks & Spenser store.