Mother-of-four, 35, who had sex in public then posted clips of it online avoids jail after her lawyer claims public backlash was driven by sexism

• Kelly Cousins, 35, said she was hounded with threats and abusive comments
• She was filmed having sex with a man in Liverpool’s Concert Square in August
• Cousins, formerly of Netherton, Merseyside, shared some of the footage online
• Cousins was handed suspended prison sentence at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court 

A woman who posted videos of herself performing sex acts with a man in Liverpool city centre said she considered taking her own life over backlash she received.

Kelly Cousins, 35, said she was hounded with threats and abusive comments after footage from her encounter on August 1 went viral on social media.

Cousins, formerly of Netherton, Merseyside but now of no fixed address, shared some of the footage, recorded by strangers, on her own social media pages, adding fuel to the criticism.

She later said she thought by ‘making light’ of the incident it would make the hate campaign ‘go away’.

However she was arrested and charged with outraging public decency, while the man accused of appearing in the video, 23-year-old Joe Firby, was also charged with the same offence. 

However, Firby remains wanted after failing to attend court in September.

Cousins was handed a suspended prison sentence at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court yesterday after previously pleading guilty to the charge. 

Her solicitor argued in court that much of the commentary around the case was driven by ‘misogyny’. 

A woman who posted videos of herself performing sex acts with a man in Liverpool city centre said she considered taking her own life over backlash she received. Kelly Cousins, 35, said she was hounded with threats and abusive comments after footage from her encounter on August 1 went viral on social media

Cousins, formerly of Netherton, Merseyside but now of no fixed address, shared some of the footage, recorded by strangers, on her own social media pages, adding fuel to the criticism. Above: Cousins outside court in September

After the hearing, the mum-of-four, who has since left Liverpool, told the Liverpool ECHO newspaper about the incessant abuse she received.

She said: ‘I would get messages from people saying ‘have you killed yourself yet?’. 

‘And let me tell you, I thought about it. I felt like it would go away if I wasn’t here any more.

‘I am still getting them today, just from total strangers. It made me feel like s***’

Cousins said on one occasion she had ordered food from a popular fast-food chain when she suspected staff had interfered with her food, which was ‘covered in bits’.

In a statement shared after the hearing, she said: ‘We knew each other from the gym. We went on a date. Things got out of hand, this was never planned.

‘I deeply regret it. I have always taken responsibility for my actions and I now just want to make a new start and put this all behind me.’

During the hearing, Andrew Page, prosecuting, told the court: ‘The defendant was in Concert Square with a male whose identity has been established. 

‘While in Concert Square she and the male became engaged in sexual activity in in public view, much of which was filmed by the general public.’

Mr Page said Cousins herself posted the footage on her social media pages under the username Ruby Rose VIP. One post was captioned: ‘Where next, Crosby, Mathew Street, St John’s Gardens, the Docks?’.

Cousins was arrested and charged with outraging public decency, while the man accused of appearing in the video, 23-year-old Joe Firby, was also charged with the same offence

The footage went viral in a matter of hours with thousands of people sharing and commenting on it. 

However, Mr Page said no one present in the city centre when the offences occurred made a formal complaint to police.

Mr Page said Cousins was reported, however, when a social worker recognised her and passed that information to the police. She was arrested at her former home in Netherton on August 4.

However her solicitor, Heather Toohey, suggested to magistrates that much of the commentary around the case was driven by ‘misogyny’.

Her solicitor Heather Toohey said: ‘There was two people involved in this offence, but only she is here today. 

Cousins (pictured outside court in September) was handed a suspended prison sentence at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court yesterday after previously pleading guilty to the charge 

The video posted online showed Cousins performing a sex act on a man, who is accused of being 23-year-old Joe Firby

On social media there was ‘hashtag Concert Square girl’ and ‘hashtag Concert Square slut’, all in relation to her.

‘All of this bad press in relation to this, and I hate to say it, was driven by misogyny’.

Cousins was sentenced to 10 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 40 hours of unpaid work. 

She was also told to complete 25 Rehabilitation Activity Days with the Probation Service.

In a statement after the case, Mr Page said: ‘The behaviour that took place in Concert Square that night was genuinely outrageous. Concert Square attracts a lot of tourists and the incident could well have damaged the reputation of the city in some people’s eyes.

‘Whatever Ms Cousins and the man involved thought they were up to, it was not the place. The man involved in this incident was equally culpable and is being pursued by the police.’

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