British Woman Told to Stop Loud Sex or Face Jail

A British woman whose noisy sex sessions were officially branded anti-social behavior was warned Friday she would face jail if she fails to stop the excessively loud lovemaking.

Caroline Cartwright, 48, was given an 8-week prison term suspended for 12 months, meaning if she engages in overly noisy coupling again in the next year she will immediately be put behind bars.

"I've heard a very short extract of the noise you make and can well see that your neighbors would be upset and distressed by this," said judge Beatrice Bolton at Newcastle Crown Court in northeast England.

Cartwright was served with a civil order over marathon romps with husband Steve, described in court as unnatural and "like they are both in considerable pain."

Neighbors at their home in Washington, south of Newcastle, had complained about the noise, as did passersby and the postman.

Cartwright was served with an anti-social behavior order (Asbo), but admitted at a previous hearing to having violated it almost immediately, and repeatedly, last April.

An anti-social behavior order is a civil order made against people deemed to be a public nuisance, and is more typically issued for young delinquents using threatening behavior, or disrupting the peace.

At an earlier hearing the court was told that the local council set up special equipment in a neighbor's flat and recorded noise levels of 30-40 decibels, peaking at 47, as loud as a conversation in the same room.

Cartwright told the court she had tried to restrain herself.

"I have tried to minimize the situation by having sex in the morning, not at night, so the noise was not waking anybody.

"I may be sympathetic to it, but it is not something I am doing on purpose."

Passing the suspended sentence Friday, the judge said, "It needs to be a prison sentence because you need to be deterred. If you commit further offenses of this nature that sentence will be passed and you will made to serve it."