An Interesting Ethical Dilemma

Talk of ethics in last week’s lecture reminded me of a case I looked at while studying criminology. A man had been staying in a private room in a hostel in Scotland for just under a year. On the day in question he had his door locked but two maids unlocked it with a master key to clean his room. When they opened the door they found him engaged in an intimate moment with a bicycle (if you want a less ambiguous picture, he had the seat removed and there was a lot of hip thrusting going on). The maids called the police, the man was arrested and charged with a breach of the peace, and he was later found guilty and sentenced to three years’ probation. Due to the nature of his crime he was also added to the sex offender list. 

Obviously most people would find what this guy was doing gross but is there anything intrinsically unethical about it? He was in a private room behind a closed and locked door. Was it perhaps more unethical of the maids to call the police after stumbling into the scene? Couldn’t they simply have shut the door and left him in peace? 

And how ethical were the actions of the presiding judge? The man’s placement on the sex offenders list carriers with it a great burden ofconsequences. Those on the list can be barred from certain activities, areas and forms of employment. They have to re-register each year and must inform the police of any travel intentions and if they relocate. Failure to keep the police updated is an offense which carries a prison term. Based on his sentence, the man will be on the list for 7 years. His details are recorded alongside violent offenders and those who pose a danger to small children, yet his “crime” was committed alone and he had no intention of even allowing anyone to be present. 

This case is an interesting example of how murky the area of ethics is and how important it is to separate your personal aesthetics from ethical considerations.