Man cops $500 fine for nude act on Aussie beach: 'It’s not as if he was just watching'
Queensland police are cracking down on anyone who wants to get their crack out.
A 53-year-old man has been fined $500 after a police drone reportedly caught him in a compromising position on a Queensland beach.
Troy Anthony Davis was allegedly touching himself while naked and in close proximity to others on the beach in Alexandria Bay, The Courier Mail reports. The beach has become notorious among locals as an unofficial nudist hotspot, but police are apparently in no mood for funny business.
After receiving a number of complaints about nudity and indecent acts being performed on the beach, authorities have ramped up surveillance including increased drone activity – which ultimately caught Mr Davis in the act. He reportedly initially denied claims and told police he was brushing sand mites off himself.
Police then arrived at the beach to find him swimming in the ocean, still naked.
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According to The Courier Mail, defence lawyer Chelsea Emery said her client was remorseful but well known in the naturalist community and there was a level of acceptance among others on the beach at the time.
"It’s not as if he was just watching, there was at least some level of acceptance of other people on the beach," she said.
"He says … that they were being intimate as well."
Mr Davis pleaded guilty to a charge of indecent exposure but a conviction was not recorded.
Queensland has no legal nudist beaches
Queensland is the only mainland state in Australia that does not have any sanctioned nudist beaches.
Despite public nudity being illegal in the state, Alexandria Bay has been a favourite of nudity enthusiasts to bare all since the 1960s, with the secluded area promoted by them as an ideal spot away from disapproving eyes.
But despite their best efforts, authorities remain stedfast that people need to pack their togs.
"People who wish to sunbake nude, they’re more than welcome to do that in the privacy of their own home where they can’t be seen by others,” Sunshine Coast Superintendent Craig Hawkins told 7News last month.
Sunshine Coast Police have reportedly issued numerous fines to naked beachgoers in recent weeks to crack down on the behaviour, with several nudists issued infringements to same day as Mr Davis.
State MP Sandy Bolton has distributed a survey to encourage locals to share their opinion on clothing-optional beaches and said early results indicate many are in favour of the law finally changing.
"So far percentages are roughly 85 per cent supportive of Queensland changing laws, and of that, 96 per cent support Alexandria Bay becoming the first clothing-optional beach," Ms Bolton told SBS last month.
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