A woman has been sentenced to 16 weeks in jail for engaging in sexual activity in public outside a coastal shopping center. Rachel Hardy-Gent, found with her lower body exposed and chest uncovered, was caught with a man whose pants and underwear were down by a delivery driver near Park View Shopping Centre in Whitley Bay. The incident was witnessed by passers-by, leading to a police response.
Hardy-Gent, residing in Slatyford, was charged with outraging public decency, possessing an offensive weapon, and violating a previous suspended sentence. The man involved has not been publicly identified yet.
According to James Long, the prosecutor at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, a delivery driver witnessed the pair engaged in sexual activity on the floor at the shopping center’s trade entrance. They were clearly visible to the public, resulting in police intervention and Hardy-Gent’s subsequent arrest.
During the court hearing, it was revealed that Hardy-Gent, who recently relocated from Carlisle to the North East, had a history of 58 previous offenses. Her defense attorney, Mark Styles, stated that she consumed excessive alcohol on the day of the incident, leading to a blackout. He mentioned that she carried a glass bottle for self-defense but had no intention of using it. Hardy-Gent expressed a desire to receive help for her alcohol dependency and housing issues, indicating that she believes prison could provide the necessary assistance due to her struggles with alcohol misuse as a coping mechanism for past traumas.