A pervert who masturbated on the Tube has been jailed for three years and banned from the London Underground.

David Cook, 62, exposed and pleasured himself in front of horrified passengers on board a Piccadilly line service between Holloway Road and King’s Cross on the evening of Saturday, July 6.

He was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court last Thursday having pleaded guilty to exposure and breaching an existing Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).

One of the passengers, a woman who boarded the service at Holloway Road, reported the incident to British Transport Police (BTP) who identified Cook on CCTV getting off the train at King’s Cross. The image was circulated on police intelligence systems, which led to his arrest in Maidstone.

Cook, of no fixed address, was sentenced to a total of three years in prison and the SOPO was revised to prevent him from travelling on the London Underground network.

Speaking after the sentencing, Pc Paul Franklin, the investigating officer, said: “This was an intimidating experience for the victim and I’d like to commend her for assisting officers during the investigation, which was vital to securing David Cook’s conviction.

“Cook is now in prison for his disgusting behaviour and will no longer be able to travel on the London Underground network.”

The sentencing comes as BTP, Metropolitan Police Service Safer Transport Command, City of London Police and Transport for London work together as part of Project Guardian to create an environment on the transport network which does not tolerate intimidation and sexual harassment.

Pc Franklin said: “We don’t tolerate unwanted sexual behaviour of any kind on the transport network and take all reports seriously.

“If someone has made you feel uncomfortable on your Tube journey – however insignificant it may seem to you – reporting it to police can prevent this happening to another passenger.”

To report an incident of a sexual nature to British Transport Police call 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016 with details of what happened.