A COUNCIL employee exposed himself to women in his van while he was at work.

Caerphilly council bus shelter cleaner Connor Holland, 29, flashed his victims in St Cenydd during the middle of the day in two separate incidents.

The women who witnessed the first screamed when they saw him while another complainant was shocked to see the defendant masturbating.

Nigel Fryer, prosecuting, told Newport Crown Court that the exposures took place on Wednesday, March 22 last year.

“During the first incident, Mr Holland gestured with his right hand for two women to come closer to his van,” he said.

“Both then noticed he had his genitals exposed inside the van.

“They screamed before walking off quickly and taking pictures of the van from a safe distance.”

The second incident occurred shortly afterwards at around 1pm when Holland had pulled into a layby.

Mr Fryer told the judge: “That victim says that as she walked by, she could see he was exposing himself and he was masturbating.

“She could see everything that he was doing and that he was maintaining eye contact.

“The complaint noticed that the van was a Caerphilly council vehicle and she took down its registration.

“It didn’t take long for the police to catch up with Mr Holland.”

The defendant, a father-of-two, of James Street, Brithdir, Caerphilly pleaded guilty to two counts of exposure.

He was a man of previous good character with no convictions to his name.

Holland’s barrister Gareth Williams said: “He’s embarrassed by his actions and he acknowledges the harm he would have caused.

“He’s a young man who has never been in trouble before.

“The defendant still lives at home with his mother and he cares for her.”

The court heard that Holland no longer works for Caerphilly council and is now employed as a delivery driver.

“He was suffering with some mental health difficulties at this time,” Mr Williams added.

“The defendant sincerely regrets what he did.

“He has said, ‘I made a big mistake. I’m sorry for what I’ve done. It will never happen again.’”

Judge Matthew Porter-Bryant sentenced Holland to a three-year community order.

He will have to attend 35 sessions of an accredited programme, carry out 120 hours of unpaid work, complete a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement and pay a £114 surcharge.

Holland will have to register as a sex offender for five years.