A man who was using an optical illusion device to make items look bigger accidentally exposed himself to a whole room of people.
Callum Carlyle, 25, from Scotland, exposed his penis to a group of teenage girls after a prank at a tourist attraction went horribly wrong.
The mechanic was alone in a room at the Camera Obscura, in Edinburgh, with his girlfriend and thought no one else could see.
But the image was being projected onto a screen in another room where 15-year-old schoolgirls were gathered, reported the Daily Record.
Police were called to the popular attraction on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and shamefaced Callum was charged.
Moments before realising the stunt had backfired, Callum's girlfriend had told him: “I can’t take you anywhere.”
He appeared at the city’s sheriff court on Tuesday when he admitted conducting himself in a disorderly manner by exposing his penis and committing a breach of the peace.
Camera Obscura has five floors packed with more than 100 illusions and rooftop views of the capital.
Fiscal depute Ross Carvel said the incident happened at around 1.30pm when Carlyle and his partner were in the Ames Room.
Mr Carvel said there was a “device in the room that creates an optical illusion changing the size of an object”.
The prosecutor said the accused “unbuckled his belt, unzipped the flies on his trousers, and removed his flaccid penis from there”.
Mr Carvel said: “He has then held his penis in his hand and walked to the other side of the room.
“Thus he appears to grow in size. He then placed his penis back in his trousers.
“His partner walked out of the room and witnesses overheard her saying to him, ‘I can’t take you anywhere’.
“He followed her out of the room. Unfortunately that illusion is projected onto a screen in an adjacent room where members of the public saw what the accused had been doing, including girls aged 15.
“This matter was accordingly reported to the police.”
The Crown accepted there was “no significant sexual aspect” to the conduct which took place on August 1 2020, the court heard.
Defence agent Nigel Bruce said his client had behaved with “stupidity” while having “what he thought would be a great laugh” with his girlfriend.
He said Carlyle had been “shamed and embarrassment” while his partner’s comment that she couldn’t take him anywhere “hit the nail on the head”.
The solicitor said prosecutors accepted the behaviour wasn’t sexual and was about “men being concerned about the size of their appendage and trying to do something about it at Camera Obscura”.
Mr Bruce said it was a “great surprise” to Callum that the images were being projected in another room.
His client had spent two years worrying about the possibility of being added to the sex offenders register.
He added: “He is mortified he is here. He accepts the childishness of his behaviour.”
Sheriff Fiona Reith said: “This is an extremely unfortunate situation. It has caused great embarrassment to you.
“You were not aware the camera relayed to another room.”
Sheriff Reith admonished him.
