Two people caught by shocked parishioners at a city centre church have learned their fate after pleading guilty to a ‘lewd, obscene and disgusting act outraging public decency’
A couple caught having sex in the grounds of a city centre church were sentenced today. Karol Piotr Biernacik, 43, and Adrienne Surgenor, 35, were caught in the “holy” grounds of St George’s Parish Church in High Street, Belfast.
Both had previously pleaded guilty to a single charge of committing “a lewd, obscene and disgusting act outraging public decency”. They were sentenced to two year probation orders at Belfast Crown Court. Biernacik and Surgenor were seen by two members of the public attending the church on November 6 last year. They were “engaging in sexual intercourse beneath a blanket”, prosecution lawyer Natalie Pinkerton said, adding that parishioners entered the church and then left again to tell the couple they were in a “sacred and holy place”.
Ms Pinkerton added: “Biernacik’s behaviour towards the parishioners was aggressive while Surgenor was conciliatory. Police were called and the defendants continued with their outrageous behaviour until police arrived.”
Belfast Live reports Surgenor replied no comment to all police questions following her arrest but pleaded guilty on arraignment. Surgenor has no previous convictions while her co-accused has six previous convictions and was the subject of a number of suspended sentences at the time of his offending for theft, assault and disorderly behaviour. The court also heard Biernacik made some limited admissions during his police interview and also pleaded guilty on arraignment.
Ms Pinkerton said the aggravating factors were the location of the offence in the grounds of a church in the early part of the afternoon, the persistent nature of the offending and the level of alcohol consumed. Defence barrister Laura Jennings said Surgenor had been on remand in Hydebank Wood women’s prison since November 7 last year. She told the court the defendant was a widow and had a long and difficult relationship with her late husband.
Ms Jennings said: “Her lifestyle was chaotic and at the time of this offending she was homeless, she was consuming alcohol on a daily basis and had resorted to sleeping on the streets. Substance misuse has been a feature of her life. Since her remand into custody she has been engaging in programmes to address her issues with alcohol. She was subsequently granted bail but this could not be perfected as no suitable address could be found.”
The Probation Board said in a pre-sentence report that Surgenor had made constructive use of her time in custody. She had shown remorse for her behaviour and apologised, while also obtaining enhanced status and engaging in educational and social activities.
Surgenor is assessed as having a medium likelihood of reoffending, while defence barrister Peter Sands said Polish national Biernacik “expressed remorse”. The Probation Board also assessed him as a medium likelihood of reoffending and recommended a community-based disposal in an effort to reduce any future offending.
Mr Sands said Biernacik had lived in Northern Ireland for around 10 years. Over three years of that was with his brother. He worked as a kitchen porter but his bail conditions prevented him from working night shifts.
“He has no dependents and was in a relationship with his co-accused for four months. He has expressed remorse for his behaviour and attributed this to his homelessness and alcohol consumption,” Mr Sands told the court.
“During his four month period on remand he suffered withdrawal symptoms. He was released in late March this year after he was able to perfect his bail. He wants to return to the structure and stability of a working environment.”
The Probation Board also assessed him as a medium likelihood of reoffending and recommended a community-based disposal in an effort to reduce any future offending.
Judge Sandra Crawford told the defendants: “This was deplorable and repugnant behaviour which offends societal standards.”Judge Crawford said the appropriate disposal was that advocated in the pre-sentence report of a two year probation order “which is to protect the public from further offending on your part”.