A FORMER teacher deliberately exposed himself to his neighbours and passers-by from his front window, a court has been told.

Andrew Beasley is alleged to have exposed his genitals to one female witness on at least 20 different occasions while standing naked in his home in Allerton Close, Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

The 40-year-old denies nine counts of exposure, so as to cause alarm and distress, said to have been committed between May 2008 and August last year.

Prosecuting at Teesside Crown Court, Paul Newcombe said there were five female complainants in the case.

Addressing the jury, he said: “Each one will tell you as they were passing by his [Mr Beasley's] house the defendant stood in the front room window totally naked and exposed himself.”

The alleged incidents included on one occasion when a woman was with her granddaughter and the child pointed out Mr Beasley as having no clothes on.

She reported the incident to police.

A neighbour, who is a nurse, twice saw Mr Beasley stood completely naked. Mr Newcombe said later she and husband saw the defendant in the street.

“The husband attempted to make light of the situation and said 'you are going to have to start putting some clothes on mate'.

“The defendant replied 'sorry about that'. We say that was a clear admission he was stood in his window naked and he was apologising about it.”

Another woman claimed Mr Beasley had looked at her and was laughing and smirking while fully naked.

“She was shocked and spoke to her husband about it, but he told her to ignore it,” said Mr Newcombe.

“But it kept on happening and in her estimate he exposed himself in excess of 20 times.”

The witness, who like many of the others involved gave evidence, was asked why it had taken her six years to report Mr Beasley.

She admitted she had only done so when a neighbour said she had seen the defendant in the same state of undress and encouraged her to go to the police.

The woman said: “I thought it was just me. It was embarrassing. I did not know if anybody would believe me.”

When the defendant was arrested he said during some of the alleged incidents he was at work or in the pub watching football.

He also said he could have been naked by chance, as a result of changing out of his cycling gear, but would not expose himself deliberately.

The trial continues.