Man described as 'credit to society' committed sex act in front of stunned Rushden Lakes Costa customers

A man from a leafy village near Oundle was caught masturbating in view of people enjoying a drink at Rushden Lakes Costa.

Martin Stansfield, from Oundle Road, Stoke Doyle, was spotted committing the sex act by an off-duty police officer and his mother in full view of the cafe’s customers.

The officer was at the counter of the shop at 6.40pm on July 6 when he spotted the 66-year-old sitting at a table, looking at his phone, masturbating.

He went over to Stansfield, a self-employed audio visual engineer, and took him outside before other officers arrived at the scene and arrested him.

Northampton Crown Court heard that there were about ten other people in the shop at the time including a group of six female customers who were sitting directly opposite to where Stansfield was.

In interview, he told officers he believed that he had ‘hidden himself enough’ so that other customers wouldn’t see what he was doing.

He pleaded guilty to one count of outraging public decency and a second count of indecent exposure was dropped.

In mitigation, barrister Paul Webb said that his client’s behaviour was ‘out of character’.

"He’s extremely ashamed,” he said.

"He was exhausted, having worked tirelessly over the preceding days and was mourning the death of a close friend in the days before.

"He became, for these reasons, detached from time and place.

"Mr Stansfield is extremely proud of not having been involved in the criminal justice system for his whole life. He knows he’s now ruined that.

"He’s a credit to society.”

Presiding Recorder Christopher Donnellan dismissed Stansfield’s claims that he did not know what he was doing.

He said: “Whatever caused you to do something like this might be something you haven’t clarified in your own mind.

"You thought you’d get a bit of a thrill

“I can’t see any reason, whether you were tired or upset about other things, that would in any way explain why you would take out your penis and start masturbating in a coffee shop unless you were going to get a thrill out of it.”

Recorder Donnellan said he had watched CCTV of the incident.

"I watched to see what you were doing,” he said.

"You were certainly looking around. The people behind you could see what was happening. Many people tried to ignore it.

"You were caught in the act.”

Stansfield was given a community order which will involve 15 rehabilitation requirement days. He was also ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge.