Man arrested for masturbating in the middle of a road in Lefkosa while on live video call with girlfriend

A man was arrested in Lefkosa on Monday for masturbating in the middle of a road.

The man named only as DA, A Turkish national was seen at around 1:30pm on Monday masturbating beside a vehicle parked in an open space on Kemal Köse Street in Lefkosa.

He was arrested after the incident was reported to the police by those who saw him and then taken to a court in Lefkosa on Tuesday on charges of obscene exposure.

He was given a 3-day detention order and appeared in court again on today (Thursday).

Police told the court that the act in question took place close to a primary school while children were playing in the courtyard.

Police said while standing next to his van, he “removed his sexual organ from his trousers and began masturbating in a way that could be seen from his surroundings”.

A parent who went to pick up her child from school and saw the incident reported the matter to the police.

Police said the man had given police a statement and a confession to his crime. Police also stated that in his statement, the suspect said that he "had a video chat with a friend and showed the friend his organ as a joke."

The police stated that the crime committed by the suspect caused outrage in the society.

He added that video evidence of the crime had been obtained.

Police stated that the part of the investigation that the suspect could influence was completed and requested that the suspect, who was in the country with a work permit, be detained in custody.

The judge then ordered the suspect to be sent to prison for a period not exceeding one month until  trial.