A man who exposed himself to a group of female passengers on a train near Croxley station has been jailed and banned from the London Underground network.

Ion Iorga exposed himself and carried out an indecent act in front of female passengers at around 11.30pm on Wednesday, July 3, 2013.

The 40-year-old was arrested by British Transport Police on board the northbound Metropolitan line train, which was travelling between Finchley Road and Watford.

He was later identified as the person wanted in connection with four previous crimes.

Iorga, of Kingsgate, Wembley, pleaded guilty to five counts of exposure between April 2012 and July 2013 and was sentenced to 15 months in prison after appearing at Blackfriars Crown Court on Monday, February 10.

He was also handed a five-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), which bans him from travelling on any London Underground train, or entering any London Underground station, between 6.30pm and 5am until 2019.

In total, he was jailed for 18 months after receiving a further three-month prison term for breaching a suspended sentence for a previous offence.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Stephen Allen, the investigating officer, said: "This was an intimidating and very upsetting experience for all of the victims involved and I’d like to commend them for assisting officers during the investigation, which was vital to securing the conviction of Ion Iorga.

"Iorga is now in prison for his disgusting behaviour and is restricted from using the London Underground network.

"We welcome the sentence and SOPO handed to Iorga and hope it serves as a warning that sexual offences anywhere on the Tube or rail network will not be tolerated and are taken extremely seriously by police and the courts."

To report an incident of a sexual nature that occurred on a Tube or train, call British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016 with details of what happened. In an emergency always dial 999.