Three Royal Marines have been thrown out of the military and now face jail after admitting carrying out sex acts in a depraved ‘initiation ceremony’ in a nightclub.
Luke Bowen, Jordan Coia and Ben James admitted public indecency after taking part in the lewd behaviour which was caught on CCTV in the smoking area of DeVito’s club in Arbroath, Scotland.
Forfar Sheriff Court heard the trio urinated in public, smacked each other’s bare buttocks and committed graphic sex acts in front of horrified customers.
Ben James (left) and Luke Bowen (right), pictured outside Forfar Sheriff Court today
Jordan Coia (left) and Craig Lynch (right), pictured arriving at court. The group all admitted public indecency
The court heard Luke Bowen urinated in the mouths of Jordan Coia and Ben James then placed his penis in the pair’s mouths.
Bowen then drank his own urine as well as that of others before shaking his penis in front of onlookers.
A fourth man, Craig Lynch, who is not in the military, then performed a sex act on another person during the incident.
Lynch, 42, from Aberdeen, James, 22, from Thirsk, Bowen, 25, from Chichester, and Coia, 22, of RM Condor, pleaded guilty on summary complaint to a charge of public indecency.
Jacob Holt, 21, Ryan Fowler, 23, Michael Byrne, 26, all of RM Condor in Arbroath, had their not guilty pleas to a charge of public indecency accepted.
It is understood Holt, Fowler and Byrne remain serving Royal Marines.
A court source said: ‘This is a massive embarrassment for the Marines – it’s not the image they want to give off.
‘Initiations of some kind have existed in the military for decades but they want to eradicate this kind of behaviour, especially when it is in public.’
The group took part in sex acts which was caught on CCTV in the smoking area of DeVito’s club in Arbroath, Scotland
Ben James has been thrown out of the military and faces jail after admitting taking part in the depraved ‘initiation ceremony’
Solicitor Nick Whelan, defending Coia, said: ‘This resulted in the ending of service for a number of these young men, including Mr Coia.
‘What he thought would be a lifetime relationship with the military has come to an end after two-and-a-half years of service.
‘The case has been hanging over these individuals and has prevented him obtaining employment as it is still pending.’
Nick Markowski, defending James, said: ‘He was also discharged from the Royal Marines.’
And Lynne Sturrock, for Bowen, added: ‘He’s been discharged and now lives with his parents.’
None of the men will face being placed on the sex offenders register after the Crown accepted there was ‘no significant sexual element’ to the crime.
Sheriff John Rafferty deferred sentence on the four men for social work background reports and released them on bail.