A father who masturbated in front of two teenage girls was handed a suspended prison sentence on Wednesday.

Timothy Klesel, 50, a school caretaker and scout leader, was seen by two 16-year-old girls masturbating in Old Farm Road in Hampton on October 18, 2014, at about 11.30pm.

Stephen Apted, prosecuting, told Kingston Crown Court: "He was holding his penis with his right hand and as he was doing so he was looking at them."

The girls ran away from the scene and called the police, who arrived in the vicinity and found Klesel, who said he had been in the pub with some friends and had been just "going for a p***" when the girls had seen him.

He later pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted he had initially lied to the police when they first stopped him because he had panicked.

Mr Apted said Klesel said he had left his wife asleep on the settee at home to drive around, had got out of his vehicle to go to the lavatory and began masturbating.

Mr Apted said one of the girls alleged she had seen Klesel before, in Nightingale Road, Hampton, sitting in the driving seat of his car masturbating while he looked at her and her friend. She was unable to provide an accurate date for this incident.

Michael Morris, defending, argued Klesel should not be handed a sexual harm prevention order banning him from public parks and playgrounds, because the offence took place on a highway, the claimants were older than 16 and Klesel had worked in these environments for a number of years without any allegation or complaint.

Judge Michael Hunter said he took these factors into account, as well as character references, but Klesel had demonstrated a sexual interest in teenage girls aged about 16 and public parks and playgrounds were places young girls were likely to be found.

He said: "Bearing in mind the effects this sort of behaviour can have I will make the order as it stands."

Mr Morris said Klesel was going through a difficult time when the offence was committed, because his mother had recently died, he was experiencing financial problems and was allegedly being bullied at work.

Judge Hunter sentenced Klesel to 17 weeks' imprisonment, suspended for two years, 70 hours unpaid work and to sign the sexual crime prevention order for five years.

He said: "Offences of this nature can be very, very distressing. In my experience people who do expose themselves in this way seldom attack the people who they are aiming the attention at but the woman to whom they are directing doesn’t know that and they feel very threatened and very distressed in the circumstances.

"If these 16-year-old girls had suffered from psychological harm from what you had done you would be facing an immediate term of imprisonment for 12 months or more."

He said he would preside over the case should Klesel breach the conditions of his sentence.

He said: "You have been given a chance today and it is likely that this will be your last chance. I have given you one chance, I am not likely to give another."