A Sydney grandfather caught on camera repeatedly masturbating on a Kiama-bound train was so inebriated he can’t remember a thing about what happened, a court has heard.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Terry Masling said he had to watch CCTV footage of himself in the act in a bid to jog his memory, and even then he had no recollection of what had occurred.
Court documents said Masling, 46, got on a southbound train at Central Station just before daybreak on June 29 last year, sat down in a carriage with seven other passengers in it and almost immediately placed his hands down his pants and began to pleasure himself.
Masling repeated the act a further five times over the following two hours, with his individual bursts of activity lasting between 2 minutes and 14 minutes and 40 seconds.
At one stage Masling can be seen masturbating while lying across an entire three-seater chair.
Meanwhile, as the train approaches Shellharbour Junction, Masling approaches a female sitting alone in one of the carriage and sits diagonally opposite her.
The woman later told police she noticed Maslnig move his hand towards his groin area but thought he was just “adjusting himself” and continued to look at her mobile phone.
Moments later, Masling can be seen to unzip his pants and begin masturbating again.
The woman told police she immediately moved to another carriage. Masling got off the train at Kiama.
The victim reported the incident to Lake Illawarra police later that day.
Officers obtained footage of the incident and were able to identify Masling by his distinctive facial tattoo.
He was charged with committing an act of indecency, to which he pleaded guilty in Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday.
Defence lawyer Tyrone Phillips said Masling was “very ashamed” of his actions that morning, despite being unable to remember them.
Magistrate Michael Stoddart listed Masling’s growing record of criminal offences – “you’ve got violence, drugs, traffic matters and dishonesty going back many years” – before admonishing his most recent violations.
“You may not remember what you did but I bet that young, 19-year-old lady subjected to your disgraceful behaviour won’t forget it,” he said.
“What an appalling set of circumstances – you should be ashamed of yourself.”
He noted Masling was already serving a sentence for an unrelated matter and was due for release on February 28.
However, he handed Masling another nine weeks behind bars, meaning he will be released on May 4.
