URL:
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegra...5001028,00.html
Text:
Raunchy mobile lowers courtroom tone
By Tony Keim
October 03, 2007 03:39pm
A MAN was lucky not to find himself facing contempt charges when his highly embarrassing mobile phone ring tone rang out loudly in a packed courtroom.
The decorum in the Ipswich Magistrate's call-over court was shattered as the sound of a woman experiencing heightened sexual pleasure rang out for between 10 to 20 seconds.
Numerous people sat in the public gallery, including several local lawyers, struggled to choke back laughter in Court 1 as acting magistrate Roger Stark tried to ignore the ring tone and attend to the case before him.
The message repeated a woman moaning: "Oh, yeah ... yeah ... oh, yeah ... do it to me."
A man seated in the public gallery could be seen try to unsuccessfully turn off his phone as he also attempted to hide his obvious embarrassment.
Less than an hour earlier, prosecutor Constable Jo Little had warned people seated in the public gallery to ensure their mobile telephones were switched off or risk having them confiscated by the presiding magistrate.
Most, if not all, Queensland courts have clear, obvious signage near the front of every courtroom informing people to ensure their phones are switched off.
Several magistrates have also adopted the practice of confiscating mobile phones that ring in court, while many others publicly chastise people who fail to turn them off.
While Mr Stark chose to take no action against the man, he could have held him to in contempt of court.
The man could have also found himself charged with causing a public nuisance - which carries a maximum sentence of six months jail.
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