A man who masturbated in front of horrified passengers on a series of buses in Lewisham and beyond has been jailed for a total of 20 months.

Fabian Downie, 44, was spotted pleasuring himself on December 2 last year while on a route 185 bus in Lewisham and again in April this year on a 53 in New Cross.

Dirty Downie was seen a further four times on buses around the capital, boarding them before masturbating in full view of his fellow passengers and then getting off again.

Two passengers even managed to take photos of him in the act before passing them on to police. Following a study of CCTV footage, Downie was arrested by police on May 20 this year.

He appeared at Woolwich Crown Court yesterday (June 18) where he was sentenced to six months in prison after admitting six counts of outraging public decency.

Downie, of no fixed address, was also sentenced to a further 14 months imprisonment for breaching a suspended sentence.

Detective Superintendent Adnan Qureshi from the Met's Roads and Transport Policing Command said: "Downie carried out these appalling crimes in full view of passengers, putting them through an awful ordeal. Thanks to the quick thinking of two of the victims, who took photos of the suspect, we were able to identify Downie and link him to all six offences. 

"Sexual assaults on the transport network will not be tolerated and anyone who commits such offences will be caught and prosecuted. 

"If someone has made you feel uncomfortable on your bus journey – however minor it may seem to you – reporting it to police can help us target the perpetrator and prevent it happening to another passenger."

Victims of unwanted sexual behaviour on the transport network can report it to police by text on 61016 or by calling 101.