Man ashamed after stroke of misfortune

Doing something wrong is one thing. Getting caught is a whole different ball game.

A local man realised this after being snapped with his pants down in January, Lowvelder reports. Photographs showed that he had been masturbating while driving.

READ MORE: Pretoria couple caught having sex in a car

Andy Henderson’s* car windows were rolled down offering the public a full view of his repulsive multitasking act.

The incident was brought to Lowvelder’s attention by a distraught mother who witnessed Henderson’s act of public indecency.

On the afternoon of January 26, she was leaving the Crossing Centre. Past the traffic circle she was waiting to turn right into Madiba Drive when she witnessed “a terrible thing”. “The driver of the car to my right was busy masturbating. His car windows were wide open. I could clearly see the elderly man’s genitals, hands and the movements he was making,” she said. Shocked and overwhelmed, she did the first thing she could think of and photographed the man and his vehicle.

The images clearly depicted what she had seen. Lowvelder’s code of ethics prevents the paper from publishing them. “He kept at it for a long while and seemed to have stopped when we reached the traffic light at West End shopping centre,” she said.
The woman and Henderson then drove off in different directions.

The mother reeled with shock and was clearly traumatised when she shared the events. “What if my eight-year-old son was with me? I am so glad he did not have to witness it,” she said. Although she initially intended to report the case to the police, she had not done so at the time of going to press. “I just want those who practice public indecency to know that it is not acceptable. It is a criminal act and they should be held accountable,” she said.

Police spokesman Capt Dawie Pretorius said sexually touching oneself in public may constitute different crimes. “If it is done in front of another person whose dignity has been infringed, a charge of crimen injuria may be laid. It can also give rise to charges of public indecency. If done while driving, it may amount to a contravention of the Road Traffic Act,” he said.

Lowvelder obtained Henderson’s contact details and gave him a call. His initial response was denial. Yet when his motor vehicle’s registration number was read to him, he became silent. A shocked “Oh f**k” escaped his lips before he admitted that he was guilty. When asked what had triggered his need to please himself, he answered with a question. “Why were people looking at me?”

Henderson was reminded of the fact that his windows were down. To this, he replied that it had been a very hot day.

“I swear it was my first time,” he said and expressed his apology ample times. The man begged the paper not to publish anything pertaining to the incident, stating that it would ruin him. “My wife will be livid,” he mentioned.

Upon being informed that he had committed more than one crime, he acknowledged that his gruesome multitasking could have endangered other road users. Panic got hold of him. “I am so extremely sorry – to the mother who had to witness it and to the broader public,” he said.

Henderson vowed to be more careful when the urge arises in future. “One has to be careful when doing these things,” he concluded.

*Pseudonym. Legislation prohibits Lowvelder from identifying anyone accused of sexual misconduct before they have been charged in court and pleaded.

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