July 22, 1998

REGINA (CP) _ Two women were cleared of indecency charges Wednesday for sunbathing topless last summer in a city park.

A provincial court judge ruled Evangeline Godron, 64, and Kathleen Rice, 42, didn't offend community standards when they took their tops off in public. But the judge said that doesn't mean everyone can go topless. He warned anyone who does something erotic while baring their breasts could be arrested.

And he said anyone offending community standards could also face charges of creating an indecent exhibit. The two women were charged after taking their shirts off in Victoria Park in downtown Regina on a hot afternoon last August.

About an hour after the two doffed their tops, police received a complaint. When they arrived _ after another hour _ the women were asked to put their shirts back on.

They refused, and were charged with creating an indecent exhibition in a public place.