A female motorist and pedestrian have described their shock at seeing a man exposing himself from his car on a busy Saturday morning.

David McDonald, 37, was arrested after the women dialled 999 independently about a man sitting in a car with no trousers on looking at a pornographic magazine in Mutton Lane, Potters Bar.

The first woman told St Albans Magistrates Court on Tuesday how on her way back from Enfield at about 7.30am on October 3 she noticed a car parked in the slip road off Mutton Lane with the driver's door wide open.

She said: “I drove past the air cadet centre and as I passed the car I glanced over because I was a little bit concerned.

“There was a male sitting in a car with a black T-shirt on and nothing else.

“In his left hand he had a porno mag held up.”

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said it was apparent he was performing a sex act.

The woman stopped in a pub car park and dialled 999.

However, she returned to the scene after the operator asked for more details and provided the number plate of a silver Citroen Saxo.

She said: “He was still sitting there. His left leg was on the dashboard and he did not seem to have any shoes or socks on. He was still holding the magazine up.”

McDonald, of Dunsters Mead, Welwyn Garden City, denied indecent exposure and failing to provide a specimen of blood for analysis at QEII Hospital, Welwyn Garden City.

A second woman was more blunt in her description of what she witnessed.

She told the court how she walked past the car parked in Mutton Lane, with its driver's door open, before also telephoning police about a man exposing himself.

Again the witness cannot be identified for legal reasons.

She said: “He was parked by the big oak tree, outside the graveyard, by the fire station.

“He was sitting in the driver's seat with the door wide open and no clothes on from the waist down.”

She described seeing the same actions as the other woman and that he carried out the act more “vigorously” when he saw her looking.

She said: “There were a lot of people driving and buses going past. It was quite busy.”

During cross examination it was put to the woman that as, like the first witness, she had not seen exactly what he was doing she could have been mistaken.

The woman replied: “He had no pants on and it was a long scratch if he was doing something else.

“If he was not doing what I think he was doing he was obviously having a long scratch.”

When it was put once more that she was mistaken, she replied: “Never. I looked and did a double take because I thought I was seeing things.”

McDonald was found guilty of indecent exposure, but cleared of failing to provide a specimen of blood for analysis at the hospital.

Magistrates released him on bail for sentence next month.