Robert Oakley, 51, of Lyons Street, Southampton, was found guilty of two charges of indecent exposure at Southampton Crown Court.

The court heard that Oakley followed two women walking their dogs on separate occasions in Frog Lane, Fordingbridge, before pleasuring himself in front of them. Both women were left "badly frightened."

Prosecuting, Siobhan Linsley, stated that the offences were aggravated by Oakley's previous convictions. Defending, Gaylene Coles, argued that her client had suffered traumatic events as a child and had issues with alcoholism in the past.

During sentencing, Judge Gary Burrell QC described Oakley as "quite belligerent and arrogant" during the trial. He said: "This sort of offence can sometimes lead to contact offences. You badly frightened both of these women. One was quite robust about it, but the other was clearly frightened and scared by your behaviour. She was upset."

Judge Burrell continued: "You have exposed yourself to women before, but these offences are still aggravating factors. They were alone and where no one was around, and they were therefore vulnerable."

Oakley was jailed for six months and given a five-year restraining order against one of his victims. He must also register as a sex offender for seven years.

Commenting on the case, PC Sarah Taylor said: "We would like to thank those women who came forward and told us what happened to them. Being subjected to something like this can be very distressing and shocking, sometimes leaving a victim unsure of what to do or how to report this kind of thing to us. We absolutely want to receive your call and bring offenders like Oakley to justice. If it's happening now, always call 999. These incidents rightly concerned the community in Fordingbridge at the time, and we're pleased to be able to say now that we were able to put a stop to this, with the community's help."