karl
September 21st, 2013, 12:43 PM
A Swedish man caught masturbating in public has been acquitted – but if he'd been caught elsewhere what kind of punishment might he have faced?
A 65-year-old man found masturbating openly on a Stockholm beach has been cleared of charges of sexual assault after the court ruled his activities were not directed towards a specific person. The judgment may come as a surprise but when it comes to penal codes and masturbation, the international legal system looks like a patchwork quilt.
Indonesia: decapitation
Most search results would have you believe that "the penalty for masturbation in Indonesia is decapitation". But hold your … er … horses! A formal query made to the secretary of information at the Indonesian embassy reveals that according to Article 281 of national law, the maximum sentence is 32 months' imprisonment.
UK: 14 days in prison
There are several laws that cover exposure. An 1885 legal reform known as the Labouchere Amendment had an unforeseen loophole that suddenly made masturbation (as well as fellatio) legal. Masturbating in public remains prohibited, though, because of several other laws, the key one being Section 28 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 which states it is an offence for anyone to "wilfully and indecently" expose his "person" in a street or public place to the obstruction, annoyance or danger of residents or passengers (NB references to a "person" mean "penis"). The overall penalty incurred is dependent on a range of circumstantial factors.
Full story here: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/blog/2013/sep/19/masturbation-laws-world-penal-code
A 65-year-old man found masturbating openly on a Stockholm beach has been cleared of charges of sexual assault after the court ruled his activities were not directed towards a specific person. The judgment may come as a surprise but when it comes to penal codes and masturbation, the international legal system looks like a patchwork quilt.
Indonesia: decapitation
Most search results would have you believe that "the penalty for masturbation in Indonesia is decapitation". But hold your … er … horses! A formal query made to the secretary of information at the Indonesian embassy reveals that according to Article 281 of national law, the maximum sentence is 32 months' imprisonment.
UK: 14 days in prison
There are several laws that cover exposure. An 1885 legal reform known as the Labouchere Amendment had an unforeseen loophole that suddenly made masturbation (as well as fellatio) legal. Masturbating in public remains prohibited, though, because of several other laws, the key one being Section 28 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 which states it is an offence for anyone to "wilfully and indecently" expose his "person" in a street or public place to the obstruction, annoyance or danger of residents or passengers (NB references to a "person" mean "penis"). The overall penalty incurred is dependent on a range of circumstantial factors.
Full story here: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/blog/2013/sep/19/masturbation-laws-world-penal-code