A MAN jailed for committing a sex act on himself in public has had his future contact with children curtailed.

Gary Smith, who admits he has a sexual preoccupation with children, was jailed for two years last month after committing a sex act on himself outside a village pub near Stanley, County Durham, while up to a dozen children aged five to ten played nearby.

The incident happened on March 16. Smith initially claimed he had been “scratching a rash”.

Police found DVDs at the 56-year-old’s home, in Sidney Close, Stanley, containing footage featuring children as young as eight involved in sexual activity with adults.

Smith admitted engaging in sexual activity in the presence of children aged under 13 and three counts of possessing indecent images of children.

Today (Friday, July 3), he was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order restricting his contact with children under 16.

He will also be registered as a sex offender for ten years.