A Co. Armagh man appeared in court today (Wednesday) accused of outraging public decency.
Standing in the public gallery area of Craigavon Magistrates Court, 22-year-old Kian Withers confirmed that he understood the single charge against him.
Withers, from James Street in Lurgan, is alleged to have outraged public decency between 22-29 December last year in that he alleged “committed an act of a lewd, obscene and disgusting nature and outraging public decency”.
It is alleged that Withers posted “a photograph of a recently deceased female which you had animated to make her appear to be singing a song, the lyrics of which were inappropriate and indecent.”
The “recently deceased female” was not named in court and the alleged facts surrounding the charge were not opened but a prosecuting lawyer submitted there was a case to answer which was conceded by Withers’ solicitor.
The court clerk told Withers, who appeared wearing a grey tracksuit, that although not obliged to he had the right to comment on the charge and to call evidence to the court on his own behalf but he declined the opportunity.
Returning the case to Craigavon Crown Court for trial with the arraignment scheduled to be heard on 16 May, District Judge Bernie Kelly freed Withers on his own bail of £500.
She also imposed two conditions, compelling Withers to reside at home and barring him from having any device capable of accessing the web.
“That includes X box, PlayStation, anything like that that gives access to the internet,” she told Withers, “if you have a smart phone you need to surrender that.”
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