A Big Issue seller performed a sex act on himself in front of two shocked women and a young child, a court was told.

Vasile Constantin admitted intentionally exposing himself when he appeared before a district judge at Worcester Magistrates Court.

Constantin, aged 55, began performing a sex act on himself in Vines Park, Droitwich, on June 19, 2008, in front of two women and a four-year-old child, although the women acted to protect the child so he did not see what was happening.

Matt Dodson, prosecuting, said one of the victims was waiting outside Waitrose supermarket in Droitwich with her friend’s child and a puppy when Constantin, a street trader who had been selling the Big Issue, approached the woman and tried to start a conversation with her.

She told him she did not understand what he was saying and when the child’s mother returned, the women went to Vines Park, opposite the supermarket.

Mr Dodson said Constantin walked very close to them and sat on a bench 15 to 20 metres away from them.

Constantin then fully exposed himself and performed a sex act on himself for about two minutes until he was disturbed by a passer-by walking his dog.

“Both women were shocked and could not believe what they had just witnessed and reported the matter to the local police station,” Mr Dodson said.

In police interview, Constantin, of Meadway, Stetchford, Birmingham, initially claimed he would never do anything like that.

Ruth Edwards, defending, said: “He’s struggling to come to terms with what he did.

“He hasn’t told members of his family what’s going on. I’ve had strict instructions not to write to him about it because he’s very, very ashamed of what happened.”

She said he could not do unpaid work because of a medical condition and that the delay in the case had been caused by him returning to his home country Romania for three to four months to have an operation on his spine.

“Obviously, it was distressing for the ladies. No one expects to see that when they go into a park. He wishes to assure the court that nothing like this will ever happen again,” Mrs Edwards said.

A district judge handed Constantin a community order for 12 months to include supervision.

He was ordered to pay £75 in compensation to each of the women and £350 court costs because the prosecution had prepared for a trial and he pleaded guilty on the day of trial.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for five years.

• Your Worcester News reporter was the only member of the media at court.