A MAN who repeatedly exposed himself to women travelling alone on the railway has been jailed for three years.

Oliver Shoesmith will now sign up to the sex offenders register indefinitely after admitting six counts of indecent exposure at Winchester Crown Court.

The 36-year-old, of NFA, exposed himself on six different occasions over the course of a year.

His reign of abuse began in July 2017, boarding trains heading for destinations including Southampton and Aldershot.

The court was told that he would follow his victims into empty carriages before sitting close to them.

Five of the victims reported becoming uncomfortable when they noticed Shoesmith was staring at them.

In each incident Shoesmith then went on to perform a sex act on himself in full view of the women, while looking directly at them.

He approached his sixth victim, a train guard on a service from London Waterloo to Alton, and exposed himself to her before performing a sex act on himself in front of her.

As well as imprisonment, Shoesmith was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

Following the conviction, Investigating officer DC Martin Chapman said: “Shoesmith’s gross indecency and vile behaviour left his victim’s intimidated, disgusted and frightened for their safety.

"By deliberately choosing women who were alone and following them into empty carriages, he knew his behaviour was utterly wrong but did so anyway.

"His sentence reflects the seriousness of his crimes and will hopefully serve as a deterrent to him committing such lewd acts again.

"Tackling all forms of unwanted sexual behaviour on the railway is a priority for us. We take any offence of this nature extremely seriously. No incident or detail is too small or trivial."