An onanist OAP caught touching himself just yards from a play area in Oxford’s South Park maintained he was not sexually interested in children.

But Harold Gerrard, who has previous convictions for masturbating in his car and is subject to a court order banning him from having his pants down behind the wheel, admitted to the police that he was attracted to young women.

Prosecutor Julian Lynch said the 74-year-old told police ‘that was what he was he was waiting there for, it being a place where students pass’.

Oxford Crown Court heard that a concerned member of the public looked through the windows of Gerrard’s parked car on February 8, having seen it a number of times on Warneford Lane.

Through a mesh screen she could see the driver had his trousers down.

She called the police and when officers arrived, they found Gerrard’s seat was reclined, his shirt partly open and his trousers were down.

“His underwear was down around his ankles, impeding his movement,” Mr Lynch said. The defendant admitted he’d been performing a sex act on himself.

This is Oxfordshire: Harold Gerrard outside Oxford Crown Court Picture: OMHarold Gerrard outside Oxford Crown Court Picture: OM

The court heard he was subject to a sexual harm prevention order, imposed in November 2021, banning him from being in a vehicle with his trousers or shorts down. He was also on a community order at the time for performing sex acts on himself in similar circumstances.

In mitigation, Gerrard was said to be a very ill man. He suffered from Amyloidosis, a rare disorder that causes a build up of protein in the body. There was no known cure and he had been given five years to live.

He was currently involved in a pioneering study by US company Richmond Pharmacology, trying to find a cure for the disease and which saw him attend fortnightly appointments in London.

He was concerned he would not be able to remain on the clinical trial if he were jailed, the judge was told.

Gerrard’s barrister said of incarceration: “To him it would be effectively a death sentence.”

The defendant now recognised he had a sexual ‘compulsion’ and had sought help from a therapist.

Gerrard, of Barton Road, Headington, pleaded guilty at the magistrates' court to breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

This is Oxfordshire: Gerrard was parked up on Warneford Lane, Oxford, near this children's play area Picture: GOOGLEGerrard was parked up on Warneford Lane, Oxford, near this children's play area Picture: GOOGLE

Imposing 16 months’ imprisonment suspended for two years, Judge Nigel Daly said: “I appreciate you are not a well man. I appreciate you may not have many years to live. I am suspending the sentence with that knowledge.

“However, if you continue to behave in this way then effectively you are sending yourself to prison and it may mean you will spend a significant part of the remainder of your life in prison.”

He imposed a prohibited activity requirement banning him from driving a car without an adult passenger or from being in a parked car within 100m of a college, school, nursery or park.

“I don’t see any other way to stop you from behaving like this,” Judge Daly said.

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