US couple in beach tryst face 15 years in prison

A US couple convicted of having sex on a popular beach in broad daylight could face up to 15 years in jail.

Elissa Alvarez, 20, was filmed mounting Jose Caballero, 40, in full view of other beachgoers, including a three-year-old girl, at Bradenton Beach in Florida one afternoon last July, the Miami Herald reports.

"It's very disgusting," a woman watching the scene told a police dispatcher at the time. "He just took her top off. There's a child here."

A raunchy mobile phone clip of the incident was shown during the trial and a number of witnesses also testified.

Defence lawyers said the suggestion the couple was engaged in intercourse was "speculation" and instead insisted that Alvarez had in fact been "dancing" on Caballero to wake him up.

The Florida jury rejected that defence and took just 15 minutes to convict the couple of lewd and lascivious behaviour yesterday.

Prosecutor Anthony Dafonseca said he would be pursuing a harsh sentence for Caballero as he has been previously convicted for cocaine trafficking. Alvarez has no police record.

Mr Dafonseca said it was important to send a message that sex would not be tolerated on public beaches.

Caballero and Alvarez will also have to register as sex offenders.