A 28-year-old man from Cardiff who was caught masturbating through a hedge while watching children playing in a public park has been handed a two-year community order at Cardiff Crown Court.
Rene Cervenak, of Trowbridge, Cardiff, appeared for sentence after pleading guilty to an offence of outraging public decency following an incident at Hamadryad Park in Cardiff Bay.
The court was told that during the summer of 2025, a delivery rider observed Cervenak positioned behind bushes, looking through an opening in the hedge line directly towards a play area where young children were gathered. Cervenak’s genitals were exposed and he was actively carrying out a sex act.
The rider immediately informed nearby parents, who confronted Cervenak at the scene. While Cervenak claimed he had only stepped into the hedge to urinate, parents carried out a citizen’s arrest and escorted him directly to Cardiff Bay police station. Subsequent forensic analysis detected semen splashed across his trousers. A forensic examination of his mobile phone also recovered 100 photographs depicting babies and young children.
In victim impact evidence, a mother described the enduring psychological distress caused by the knowledge that an adult male had targeted children in a public park, outlining persistent anxiety regarding her daughter’s safety and the lasting harm inflicted on her mental health. The court heard that Cervenak, who arrived in the UK with his family in 2010, held two prior convictions encompassing burglary, possession of a knife, and failing to surrender to bail.
Under the provisions of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 and Section 49 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, any child affected by public sexual conduct or connected proceedings is entitled to automatic, lifelong statutory anonymity. Publishing, broadcasting, or disseminating any details, names, addresses, schools, or images capable of leading to the public identification of the children is strictly prohibited under UK law.
Cervenak entered a guilty plea to:
Outraging public decency
The judge sentenced Cervenak to a two-year community order and ordered him to pay a £250 fine. The community order requires completion of rehabilitation activity requirements alongside structured drug rehabilitation treatment. The court declined to impose additional measures requested during proceedings, choosing not to grant an exclusion order from public parks, GPS electronic tagging, or a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
Alongside the community penalty, the court confirmed:
Mandatory notification requirements on the Sex Offenders Register for a period of five years under the provisions of the Sexual Offences Act 2003
Image – Anonymous Artist Impression
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