A 32-year old woman caught engaging in a sex act in a side-room of a church in the centre of Belfast was handed a four-month jail term on Thursday.
Kirsty Leigh McMaster, whose address was given as ‘no fixed abode’, appeared at Belfast Crown Court where she was sentenced for committing an act outraging public decency at St Mary’s Chapel on May 18, 2024.
As he imposed the sentence, Judge Philip Gilpin told McMaster that her actions caused upset to parishioners who were inside the chapel and who witnessed the incident. Police were called to Chapel Lane on the afternoon of May 18 following a report from a parishioner.
At around 3.15pm, McMaster and a co-accused - Sean Paul Russell, 37, from Market Street in Downpatrick - were present in a side room of the chapel. Others present in the church observed McMaster performing oral sex on Russell in the side room and police were alerted. When officers arrived, both McMaster and Russell were arrested.
Due to McMaster’s physical state, police conveyed her to hospital and a toxicology report revealed ketamine was in her system. When she was fit for interview, McMaster admitted engaging in sexual activity with her co-accused but said it had taken place outside the chapel.
McMaster subsequently told a Probation Officer that she had no memory of her offending behaviour due to her intoxication. She did, however, tell Probation that she remembered meeting Russell in the city centre and that her next memory was waking up in hospital.
Defence barrister Paul Burns said that at the time of the offence McMaster was “at a low ebb and was homeless on the streets”.
Submission made on behalf of McMaster also highlighted her being the victim of an abusive relationship in the past, her addiction to both drink and drugs and the steps she is now taking to tackle her addiction issues. The Judge revealed that whilst on remand, McMaster was attacked by a fellow inmate and had boiling water poured over her.
Judge Gilpin spoke of several aggravating factors which he said included the fact it took place “inside a place of worship” and the “considerable upset” the incident caused to the parishioners who witnessed it.
Speaking to McMaster as she stood in the dock, Judge Gilpin told her: “Through your Probation Officer you apologised for your behaviour, you recognised the impact that your behaviour had on the public and you recognised the lack of respect you had shown for the place where you offended.”
Judge Gilpin imposed the four-month sentence and said that the time McMaster has already served on remand would be taken into account. Her co-accused Russell pleaded guilty to the same charge last week and he will be sentenced on May 16th.
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English (United States) ·