IPSWICH: A carpenter performed a sex act in full view of children who walked past his van on their way to school, it has been alleged.

Timothy Curtis, 23, sat in his van in Heath Lane, Ipswich, with his genitals exposed and made no effort to cover himself up when pupils from nearby Copleston High School walked past, Ipswich Crown Court heard yesterday.

Curtis, of Halstead Road, Stanway, was allegedly initially seen exposing himself by a teenage girl at 8.20am on March 16 and was seen doing the same thing by other children on subsequent days, claimed Chris Morgan, prosecuting.

Police officers went to Heath Lane on April 30 between 8.15am and 8.30am and saw Curtis sitting in his van but did not see him doing anything inappropriate.

He was arrested on suspicion of indecent exposure to which he replied, “you must be joking”.

Curtis claimed he had been working at Ipswich Hospital and had stopped in Heath Lane to have a sleep because it was too early to go to work.

He denied performing a sex act on himself in his van and told police that the school children could have seen him scratching a rash on his groin or putting his hands in the waistband of his trousers to warm them.

Mr Morgan said Curtis now accepted he had been performing a sex act on himself and the issue for the jury was whether or not he had deliberately exposed himself or had acted in the way he did not knowing anyone could see him.

“If he had any innocent explanation he would have stopped and tried to cover himself up. Having appreciated a young lady was looking at him he carried on and got sexual gratification from a young woman seeing him,” alleged Mr Morgan.

Curtis has denied exposing his genitals on March 16.

The trial continues today.