Athy Court: Man who masturbated over Zoom call is sentenced to six months in prison
Athy Courthouse
A MAN who masturbated to a Kildare counsellor while on a Zoom call was jailed for six months at Athy District Court on 8 July.
Keavon Lyons (34) from The Warren, Malahide, North Co Dublin, pleaded not guilty to the offence contrary to stemming from his actions on 3 January 2022.
A female who operates out of a Kildare practice took the stand and gave full and frank testimony, which drew praise from Judge Desmond Zaidan as “a very able, very capable witness who didn’t come across as serving false evidence.” She explained that she originally got a text message from a number she didn’t recognise and there was “vague mumbling with the person keeping me on the line without saying anything.” “It’s the time of year for suicides, so I asked the person ‘are you safe’,” said the woman.
“He hung up, I tried to ring back, but there was no answer, so I went to Athy Garda Station and asked them to do a wellness check,” she said.
“I said I could do a Zoom call if he sent me an email address.
“The next day, I started that meeting and then he stretched his arm and I could see he had no clothes on.
“I asked had he seen other counsellors and he said he’d seen 30.
“It seemed he had some mental health issues and was twitching, similar to Tourette’s.
“He told me he was attracted to a family member and I had to ask ‘how old?’ and he said 60 to 63, but he had his left hand on his penis and was masturbating.
“I said ‘I’m ending the call’ and he said he’d get another counsellor,” she said.
Judge Zaidan asked her if she could identify the man and she said: “He reminded me of Bill Bailey, the comedian, but he wasn’t receding like Bill Bailey.” The judge then asked her: “Do you see that person in court” and she turned in the box and pointed at him.
“You are pointing at the suspect?” asked the judge seeking confirmation, and the woman nodded.
The woman told Insp Jason Crotty that she had been a clinical psychologist for seven years and had no further contact with the man.
“It became evident to me he wasn’t looking for help,” she said.
“I did not think at the time he wanted help, but to expose himself to me, which was very disturbing.
“Do you think somebody doing this outlandish behaviour could be someone looking for help?” asked defending barrister Patsy Glennon in his cross examination of the witness.
“The fact that he was able to hide his identity makes me think he was purposely avoiding identification,” she replied.
“He gave you his proper email address,” said Mr Glennon.
“I’m not so tech savvy,” she answered.
“Would you be surprised he was diagnosed with ADS, the hyperactive disorder?” asked Mr Glennon.
“No. There was a twitch, which you would expect, but wouldn’t explain his behaviour,” she said.
“He was very much in control of that Zoom meeting. He was leading it, I was not.’’ “You quite definitely saw his penis?” asked Mr Glennon.
“He hadn’t switched hands during the phone call for 20 minutes, then I understood what he was doing with his other hand,” she replied.
“Did you see his penis?” asked Mr Glennon.
“A bit. His hand was around it,” she said.
Then, Mr Lyons took the stand and said: “I made contact with (named doctor), but the whole time I told her I was seeking help, being lonely.” “I did explain about being myself and my background and that’s why I brought up my aunt, that’s all I’m going to say,” said he said.
“Were you naked?” asked Mr Glennon.
“I can’t recall,” said Mr Lyons.
“Did you have your hand on your penis?” asked the barrister.
“No,” said the defendant, before adding he was unemployed for a number of years.
“How does your hyperactive disorder affect you?” asked the judge.
“I couldn’t pay attention at school, I got special needs supports, but I kinda grew out of it.
“People like her makes it harder for people looking for help,” he said.
“What has doctor (named person) got to gain?” asked the judge.
“This is a private hearing, what has she got to gain from telling a total stranger about this?” he asked.
“Maybe to stich me up?” said Mr Lyons.
“Thank you,” said the judge.
In mitigation, Mr Glennon told the court that his client was “severely bullied as a young man,” that the victim was in Kildare and that there was “no personal contact.” “At the end of the day, it is one word against the other,” said the judge.
“And even if I don’t accept a word of Keavon Lyons, the state must provide evidence beyond all reasonable doubt,” he added.
“When there are two versions before the court, the court must give the benefit of doubt to the defence, unless the version given by the state is proven beyond all reasonable doubt,” said the judge.
“Doctor (named) came across as a very able, very capable witness and didn’t come across as someone giving false evidence.
“On the other hand, Mr Lyons, the less I say the better. The denial is obvious. I don’t even have a slight doubt that this man is guilty as charged.
“He turned the tables and tried to blame a professional witness. That lady was as honest and professional as I’ve seen in my legal history,” said the judge.
Mr Glennon sought the Probation Act, but the judge said: “There’s no way I’m imposing this man on any other female professional” before sentencing him to six months in prison.
