A woman caught performing oral sex in public was sentenced to a 12-month community order and put into treatment for alcohol consumption last week.

Trisha Clifton, 41, of Stoke Newington High Street, Stoke Newington, was captured on CCTV carrying out the sex act and “intimately touching” another person along the Regent’s Canal towpath near Royal College Street, Camden.

A cyclist, a bin man and another member of the public also witnessed the incident as they travelled past in the early hours of the morning on August 24.

Clifton appeared at Highbury Magistrates’ Court last Tuesday after pleading guilty to an act of outraging public decency and a further charge of failing to surrender to police bail in relation to the charges on November 26.

Prosecutor Edward Aydin said: “The first CCTV pictures at 2.40am shows Miss Clifton lying on the grass with another person and appears to be engaging in intimate touching.

“A cyclist rides past and sees them at 2.46am. A bin man comes along at 2.48am and witnesses the act of intimate touching.

“The CCTV shows Miss Clifton engaging in oral sex with her companion at the edge of the footpath near the canal.

“There’s then a third member of the public who walked by the footpath.”

Miss Clifton maintained she was fully dressed during the incident.

Defence solicitor Margaret Anucha said: “She’s had a troubled life and has experienced a mental breakdown.

“There were no children or vulnerable people around at the time.

“She has had periods of imprisonment and has been assaulted, which has resulted in her self-harming.”

Summing up, magistrate chairman Peter White said: “The offence of committing an outrage in public is so serious, a community order is appropriate in this matter.”

He added that he would be recommending a course of alcohol treatment as “there is a large amount of alcohol being consumed by you.”

In response, Clifton said: “You can check all my criminal behaviour – I believe I have 25 convictions that took place because of drink.”

She was sentenced to a 12- month supervision order and six month of alcohol treatment, as well as being asked to pay a £60 victim surcharge for failing to surrender to police bail.