A MAN who admitted four counts of indecent exposure while driving on the motorway has been sentenced to a 12 month Community Rehabilitation Order.

Michael Monk from Hazelwood Lane, Abbots Langley, was sentenced at Watford Magistrates Court on Tuesday, December 18, and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £55 having previously pleaded guilty to the offences from May 28 to July 11 this year.

Mr Mark Fleckney, acting for the prosecution, told the court how Monk was reported to police four times in six weeks by lorry drivers who saw him masturbating as he drove his Daewoo car along the M25 near Potters Bar and the St Albans part of the M1.

The majority of the incidents reported to police occurred during rush hour on the M25 between 5pm and 5.30pm, with the exception of the Potters Bar incident which occurred during lunch time of May 28, at around 1.30pm.

Mr Anthony Irving, defending, said his client had suffered enough from the two court appearances and recommended to magistrates that a fine was suitable punishment.

The maximum punishment for this type of offence is 14 days imprisonment or a level three fine.

Mr Irving reminded magistrates the offence his client had been charged with was not as serious as those considered offensive to women.

Monk had no previous criminal record.

Monk did not speak, but in mitigation Mr Irving said: "He is a 45-year old man, married with a child and in stable employment.

"Mr Monk assures me that he has not committed any offence since his July 11 apprehension. It has shocked him into a realisation of what he was doing.

"He has stopped behaving in that way and is quite determined that nothing like this will happen again.

"He has had it hanging over him and it is an ordeal appearing in a public court. This has been punishment to him and brought it home.

"This is not a man who presents any danger, or is likely to appear in front of the court again. He has had one counselling session and is going to have further appointments to deal with any problems that might lay behind his behaviour."

Chief Magistrate Mr Roger Johnson said in view of the report from the probation service the bench thought a Community Rehabilitation Order was most appropriate in this case.

He said full credit in sentencing had been given for the guilty plea. And warned that if the order was broken, Monk could face imprisonment.

December 20, 2001 17:30