Tourist accused of exposing himself in Geraldton blames booze for ‘erratic’ actions

A Perth man who was heavily intoxicated when he allegedly exposed himself at a jewellery store in Geraldton on Wednesday has been given bail after spending the night in police custody. Andrew Anderson was on holiday in Geraldton this week when police say he began causing a scene on the main strip at about 4pm. Prosecuting Sergeant Tanya Wentzel said the 40-year-old was in the store on Marine Terrace when he was asked to leave by staff over his erratic behaviour. “When asked to leave he exposed himself by pulling out his penis multiple times, exposing himself to staff and patrons,” she said. “This is a serious offence, we had a lot of calls complaining about his behaviour.” The incident was allegedly caught on CCTV footage and was seen by a number of people including a child witness. Representing Mr Anderson, duty lawyer Faye Sellers said he had been drinking alcohol which interacted poorly with his new medication. “His intention is to leave Geraldton and return home to Perth on a bus tomorrow,” she told Geraldton Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. One of the managers at Latitude Gallery Jewellers said it took more than 30 minutes for him to remove the “erratic” man from the store. “He was quite out of it, frankly I felt sorry for the guy,” he said. It was a volatile situation, anything could have set him off.” He was given bail on the condition he did not consume alcohol and was warned by Magistrate Edward De Vries not to get into any trouble before his bus left. “You do anything that involves police, and that includes pulling your willy out in public...I’ll remand you into custody until your next appearance,” he said. Mr Anderson was not required to enter a plea on the charge of indecent acts in public and will reappear in Bunbury Magistrate’s Court on November 19. “Remember what I said and stay out of trouble,” Mr De Vries warned.