A MAN was jailed yesterday after he stripped off and committed a sex act in the street as his friend stood by and filmed him on a camera phone.

John Thomas William Mould, 20, was seen approaching the front door of a house in Trimdon, County Durham, Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court heard.

Jacqueline Gibson, prosecuting, said: "It was about 4am when the householder, William Yard, was awoken by voices outside.

"He looked out of his window and saw the defendant was completely naked outside.

"Mr Ward said that the defendant was masturbating.

"He contacted the police and said he could not believe the vulgarity of what he was seeing."

Miss Gibson said police arrived to find a tissue posted through Mr Yard's letterbox, by Mould, but were unable to recover the camera phone.

In mitigation, Jane Scott, said Mould denied he was masturbating, but accepted his actions were calculated to give the impression he was.

Miss Scott said: "There was no suggestion by police officers - and that tissue was given to them - that there was anything untoward on it.

"As far as the incident itself is concerned, he was out with a friend and they had had a great deal to drink.

"Mr Yard is known to them and there had been incidents in the past between them.

"He and his friend thought that it would be a laugh, there was no sexual motivation, it was just to wind him up."

Miss Scott said Mould was under a lot of pressure after his parents moved to a bungalow through ill health and his application to keep the family home was refused.

"He has actually just received a message from a friend to tell him his house is being boarded up by the council and his belongings are being removed as we speak," said Miss Scott.

Mould, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to outraging public decency and resisting arrest.

He was given six weeks for outraging public decency, four weeks concurrent for resisting arrest and 12 weeks for a suspended sentence that had not expired.

He was also given a three- year criminal anti-social behaviour order.

He is prohibited from exposing himself, inciting others, being drunk or on drugs, in a public place, in Sedgefield.