‘LEWD ACTS’ | 

Plumber who avoided jail despite masturbating and exposing himself in public tells Sunday World to ‘f**k off’

Tradesman avoids jail after being caught performing lewd sex acts in public on three occasions

Patrick O’Connell and Sean McCarthaigh

Today at 18:21

A pervert plumber who walked free from court despite masturbating and exposing himself in public on THREE separate occasions, told the Sunday World to ‘f**k off’ when we tried to quiz him about his vile antics.

Barry Jones – whose own legal representation described him as ‘a menace’ – was loading up his van outside his Rathdrum home in Co. Wicklow on Friday afternoon when we called to discuss his crimes.

The 49-year-old initially appeared friendly when he noticed our reporter standing at the gate of his rural home, advising him that two dogs running loose in the garden were friendly.

But the piping professional’s demeanour changed utterly when our reporter identified himself.

“F**k off,” Jones muttered as he turned away.

“Does that mean you don’t want to speak with me?” our reporter inquired.

Garda James O’Sullivan said a male had been exposing himself and masturbating for about 30 minutes outside the Centra store and a Chinese takeaway on Main Street, Roundwood at around 9.30pm on December 19, 2020.

Jones told gardaí that he had been drinking since 1.30pm that day but was horrified when informed of his conduct.

Garda O’Sullivan told counsel for the DPP, James Kelly BL, that the accused was shocked by his own behaviour but had made no admissions.

He said gardaí also became aware that a man had exposed himself while purchasing bread at the counter in the Centra store the previous day at around 4.45pm.

A woman who had seen Jones exposing himself provided a statement in which she said she suffered anxiety and panic attacks following the incident.

The victim said she felt sick in her stomach and no longer felt safe in the area as she feared the accused would come back.

Counsel for Jones, Eoin Gallagher BL, said alcohol was a factor in the various incidents and it had not helped that he had been drinking for around eight hours before what happened.

Mr Gallagher provided a letter from the accused’s wife which outlined personal issues which had affected her husband for which the court heard he was receiving counselling.

The barrister said something had become an issue around 2020 and 2021 for Jones which had “triggered” the offending incidents.

Mr Gallagher said his client acknowledged that anger of his victims as well as his wife. “It’s fair to say he’s a menace but he wants to prevent himself from being a menace going forward,” said Mr Gallagher.

In response, Judge Patrick Quinn noted that Jones has been assessed as being at an average risk of reoffending. The judge said he accepted that the accused’s remorse and shame were genuine, while also noting he’d entered early guilty pleas.

He also acknowledged that childhood experiences might provide an explanation for the defendant’s “unusual and inappropriate” behaviour.

Judge Quinn imposed an 18-month sentence in relation to the Bray incident “in order to mark the court’s abhorrence of the accused’s conduct.”

However, he suspended the sentence in full in recognition of Jones’ efforts to address his issues as well as the impact the case had on his wife’s health on condition that he provide €1,000 to each of his four victims and remain free from all drugs and alcohol.

Jones, who had been in custody since earlier in the week, broke down crying as he hugged his wife following the hearing.