Man repeatedly caught masturbating in his car while parked in the view of Taranaki public

Mau Thack was caught masturbating in his vehicle on several occasions. Photo / Stock Image

A migrant repeatedly caught masturbating in his publicly parked vehicle claimed he had been massaging a sore testicle, but later admitted to pleasuring himself, saying he did it because he was lonely and homesick but did not realise people could see him.

Mau Thach, a Vietnamese national in New Zealand on a three-year work visa, parked at Bell Block Beach on October 26 last year and masturbated while sitting in the backseat of his car.

The New Plymouth beach has consistent pedestrian and vehicle traffic and when a member of the public spotted what Thach was doing, he attempted to take a photo of Thach’s number plate.

Thach, 39, saw the man and immediately jumped in the driver’s seat of his vehicle and sped off, New Plymouth District Court heard on Wednesday.

The following month, Thach parked his car outside a house on a busy Bell Block street and repeated the act.

He was seen by another member of the public who reported the behaviour to police.

Later that same day, Thach parked his vehicle outside an accommodation complex at the Pacific International Hotel Management School, where he resided.

A female occupant of the complex opened her curtains and saw Thach shining his phone’s torch at his crotch.

He began masturbating and the woman closed her curtains.

When she opened the curtains about 30 seconds later, she saw Thach had stopped what he was doing but then observed him resume the act shortly after. She pulled the curtains and left them closed.

The following day, on November 18, he returned to the carpark outside the complex and masturbated in his car again.

On one occasion, he masturbated in his car while parked at Bell Block Beach.

The same woman opened her curtains and saw a repeat of the behaviour. She reported it to on site security and staff at the school.

On November 25, Thach was arrested and when spoken to by police, he claimed to have been massaging a sore testicle while parked at the beach and that he had made sure no one was around.

He said he had been doing something similar when parked on the busy Bell Block street, but admitted to watching pornography in his car and masturbating while parked outside the hotel management school’s accommodation complex.

Thach told police he did not think people could see him through his vehicle’s windows.

He was charged with two counts of offensive behaviour and two of doing an indecent act, to which he pleaded guilty.

In court, Thach stood with his head down, flanked by an interpreter.

He appeared in New Plymouth District Court on Wednesday. Photo / Tara Shaskey

Defence lawyer Nina Laird pointed out he had no previous convictions and a pre-sentence report assessed his risk of reoffending as low.

The report stated he had shown insight into the offending and gave reasons as to why it may have occurred.

“In terms of his feelings of loneliness, being homesick and isolated and in addition to that his family’s financial struggles,” Laird said.

With consideration of Thach’s personal circumstances and the “cultural factors”, she submitted supervision was the least restrictive outcome.

Judge Gregory Hikaka asked what Laird meant by cultural factors.

“I don’t think it would be culturally accepted in his country,” he said.

“He certainly didn’t consider that it was as serious as what it indeed is in New Zealand,” Laird responded.

Judge Hikaka said he was mindful of Thach’s explanation for the offending but was concerned about the repetitive nature of the behaviour.

He sentenced him to nine months of supervision.

Laird told the court that Thach hoped to return to Vietnam once his sentence was complete.

Tara Shaskey joined NZME in 2022 as a news director and Open Justice reporter. She has been a reporter since 2014 and previously worked at Stuff covering crime and justice, arts and entertainment, and Māori issues.