It emerged that the woman involved in the incident had passed away two weeks prior to a court hearing on Wednesday
A Belfast woman who was charged alongside a male co-accused for an act that outraged public decency died last month, it was disclosed in court on Wednesday. Gillian Portis, aged 50, and Adrian Matthew Reid, 37, were accused of engaging in a sexual act last August.
While the specifics of the incident weren't discussed on Wednesday, it was previously reported in court that the pair were apprehended after a member of the public saw them involved in a sex act at the entrance to Cityside Retail Park's car park in Belfast, reports Belfast Live. Their case was due for arraignment at Belfast Crown Court on Wednesday, and while Reid was present, a prosecutor informed Judge Philip Gilpin that Ms Portis had "passed away" two weeks prior. After their case was announced, Reid, from Oldpark Avenue, stood in the dock and faced the charge that on August 3 last year, he 'committed an act of a lewd obscene and disgusting nature and outraging public decency by engaging in a sexual act with another'. When asked for his plea, Reid responded: "Guilty, Your Honour." His lawyer, Mark Farrell, requested a pre-sentence report for Reid and the plea hearing was scheduled for May 2. Judge Gilpin then instructed Reid to cooperate with the Probation Board for the report's preparation. With no opposition from the prosecution, Judge Gilpin allowed Reid to remain on bail. Subsequently, defence lawyer Sean Mullan confirmed that his client, Ms Portis, had died two weeks prior. With an address at the Stella Maris hostel on Garmoyle Street in Belfast, her funeral took place last week. In response to this, prosecuting barrister Samantha Madden stated that the Crown was ready to leave the charge against Ms Portis "on the books". Judge Gilpin indicated that a death certificate would need to be presented for this to officially occur. The case has been rescheduled for mention in a week's time to determine when the death certificate will be accessible. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
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