A defendant accused of exposing himself while sitting in his car was allowed to roll a cigarette in court to demonstrate to a jury that's what he was doing at the time.

Graham Seedburgh, 27, claimed he had been seated behind the wheel of his car rolling a cigarette and using the crotch area of his trousers as a 'table.'

He was then allowed to sit in a chair in front of the jury box and roll a cigarette after telling the jury it was his habit to twist the end to stop any loose tobacco falling out.

But the jury rejected his account and convicted him instead of two offences of exposing himself to lone women in Bushey.

Seedburgh was given a two year community order with supervision and told he must go on a sex offender treatment programme to address his behaviour.

He was told by Judge Stephen Warner that his name was being added to the sex offenders register for the next five years.

He was appearing for sentence having been found guilty last month of the charges.

During his trial, the prosecution had claimed how in April 2014 Seedbugh had called lone women over to his vehicle while parked in Bushey on the pretext of asking for directions.

When they got up to his car, they were shocked to see he had his penis out of his trousers.

One woman said: "His private parts were uncovered and I could see he was pleasuring himself. I said 'Oh my God' and pulled out of the car window and walked away."

Seedburgh, from Edgware, had committed the offences of exposure in 2014 when he was living in Bushey.

Prosecutor Phillip Levy said the complainants were women in their mid to late thirties who had been called across by the defendant to his car only to discover he was exposing himself and masturbating.

The jury was told the first offence took place on 18 April 2014 in Aldenham Road, Bushey around 4.20pm.

Another offence took place on April 29 in London Road, Bushey just after 1.30pm.

In both cases, the women had told police the culprit had a ponytail and was behind the wheel of a dark car.

The woman who witnessed the first incident in Aldenham Road, Bushey told the court she had been walking on her own towards Watford where she planned to meet friends.

She told the jury "There was a guy asking me for directions. He wanted to know the way to Bushey Mill Lane. I took my phone out to check Google Maps.

The woman told the court that because she was looking at the map on her phone, she wasn't paying attention to the man. She said she leaned into the car through the front passenger window and started to explain how he could find the road.

She said she looked up and went on "His private parts were uncovered and I could see he was pleasuring himself. I said 'Oh my God' and pulled out of the car window and walked away," she told the court.

Following the last incident in London Road on 29 April 2014, the woman victim managed to take down part of the number plate of the car.

It lead to the arrest of the defendant who was living at the time with his parents in Bushey and driving a dark blue Rover 25.

In the witness box he denied exposing himself to the women.

He claimed that he had stopped his car in London Road in Bushey on April 29 2014 to roll himself a cigarette and told how it was his practice to use the crotch area of his trousers as a "table."

Passing sentence Judge Stephen Warner told Seedburgh "On both occasions, what you did was done with the intention of causing alarm and distress to the ladies. It was a worrying and upsetting experience for both of them. I am quite sure you did this for your own sexual gratification."

At his trial last month, Seedburgh was acquitted by the jury of a third charge of exposing himself to a woman while seated in his car in Grange Road Bushey on April 27 2014.