A HALF-NAKED paedophile who exposed himself to an eight-year-old girl as he drove around Hereford was described as a 'vile menace' by a judge.

Douglas Nivison, already a convicted sex offender, drove through a residential area of Hereford in his Jaguar and offered to show the girl a 'magic trick' before exposing himself, causing her to fear she was about to be abducted.

The 62-year-old of Birchmore Road, Gloucester, was spared jail when he was sentenced for exposure at Worcester Crown Court on Friday and ordered to complete a sex offender's course instead.

The married defendant approached the little girl in a close in Hereford on August 13 this year at around 10.55am, winding down his car window to ask her for directions.

Christopher Quinn, prosecuting, said: "She could clearly see into the vehicle and and saw the defendant was wearing a black and white striped t-shirt that stopped at the waist. He wore nothing from the waist down."

The girl described how she could see his genitals.

"He said to her 'come closer, come closer'. She declined, fearing what he may do.

He asked her if she would like to see a magic trick" said Mr Quinn.

The girl described him waving his private parts about in front of her.

Mr Quinn told the court: "She thought she was going to be dragged into the vehicle and ran away at that point."

He said Nivison had a historic pattern of offending going back to the 1980s.

Recorder David Mason QC said: "I accept from what I read, disgusting as this behaviour is, it was never going to go further than what actually did happen.

"He's a vile menace but he's not worse than that."

Recorder Mason said Nivison had had 'the good sense to plead guilty' and added: "Thankfully you are someone who recognises the issue that you have'.

He sentenced him to a two year community order to include 60 rehabilitation activity requirement days and an accredited sex offender's treatment programme which is 'likely to be Horizon'.

A sexual harm prevention order was imposed 'until further order'. This prohibits Nivison having unsupervised contact with children under 16 other than contact that is inadvertent or unavoidable in the course of daily life and he must have the prior consent of the parent or guardian, with the express permission of social services.

He is also prohibited from taking up any paid, voluntary or recreational work which brings him in contact with children under 16 other than with the permission of the chief constable for the area.

The defendant was also ordered to pay £200 towards the £340 costs requested by the prosecution.