A ‘revolting’ pervert with a pornography obsession performed a solo sex act in front of a young woman while travelling on a Megabus between Birmingham and Manchester. The student, who was travelling on her own for the first time, said she was traumatised by Luke Morrissey’s “horrible” actions.
The woman said Morrissey, who was sitting diagonally opposite her, had appeared to be asleep at first but then he began ‘glancing’ at her, which made her feel uncomfortable. He then pretended to be on his phone but when she returned to her seat after using the toilet, she saw the warehouse worker performing the sex act.
Rachel White, prosecuting, told Manchester Crown Court that as the shocked woman called her boyfriend, Morrissey ejaculated and covered up the stain he had left. She added that another passenger on the bus had overheard the woman’s conversation with her partner and had called the police.
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The court heard that the bus driver was alerted and Morrissey – who admitted watching pornography between six and eight times every day – was arrested around 30 minutes later, when the bus arrived at Shudehill bus station in central Manchester. CCTV seized by police captured the lewd act, the MEN reports.
A victim personal statement from the woman was read out in court, which said she had always travelled ‘anxiously’ and this was her first trip alone. “I don’t think I will ever be able to travel alone again,” she said.
She described feeling ‘frozen’ in her seat while Morrissey carried out the act, adding: “It was horrible – there was nowhere to go.” The woman said she felt she ‘just had to endure it’ as she didn’t think anyone would intervene as they were travelling ‘in the middle of the motorway’.
The woman also said she looked young for her age and could easily have been mistaken for ‘a minor’ by Morrissey, adding: “He didn’t know [how old I was]. It was disgusting.”
Carl Buckley, defending, said: “The facts of this case cannot be mitigated. They speak for themselves and they are accepted.” He told the court his client had pleaded guilty and had otherwise had been ‘of good character’, with no previous convictions.
Judge Sarah Johnston described the defendant’s conduct as ‘revolting’ but said she did not believe his crime had ‘crossed the custody threshold’. She told Morrissey: “You were travelling on public transport on a coach headed for this city. Your victim was a young woman who had the misfortune to sit next to you because you decided, for reasons best known to yourself, to enact some kind of sexual fantasy which it appears you have acquired through pornography.
“You knew she was there. I’m satisfied her presence added to your gratification.” The judge also noted the defendant had admitted he had ‘taken alcohol’ at the time and said it had ‘some sort of disinhibiting effect’ on the defendant.
Morrissey of Ashdown Way in Grove, Oxfordshire, was handed a 24-month community order which required him to carry out 30 days of community work, plus a further 35 days of rehabilitation activity. He admitted one offence of outraging public decency by committing a lewd and disgusting act.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
