A music festival is supposed to be about the bands, the food, and the memories you actually want to keep. For one 33-year-old civil engineering student, it turned into a court date. Innes Miller pleaded guilty to outraging public decency after he and a woman were filmed having sex on a ferris wheel at Download Festival in June 2026. A witness riding with her young autistic son reported the incident, and police tracked both people down through the viral footage.
The fallout came fast. Miller was fined £80, plus £85 in court costs and a £32 victim surcharge. The woman involved apologized to police and was not prosecuted. But the detail that really stings is how Miller found out he’d gone viral: his boss called him and said,“You’re all over the internet.”Most people on the ride reportedly found it amusing, some even clapping, but a mother and her child certainly didn’t.
This one’s a cautionary tale wrapped in a festival story. Cameras are everywhere, and what feels like a private moment can become public in seconds. So we want to hear from you: does a viral video count as punishment enough, or was the fine the right call?
About the Author
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
