A PERVERT jailed for shoving a courgette down the front of his leggings before simulating a sex act in front of shoppers and children is back behind bars.

“Persistent sex offender” Geoffrey Chambers, 68, from Newport has been locked up for breaching an order regulating his use of the internet.

That sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) was imposed in February 2021 after he’d “paraded himself” in Hereford while making eye contact with women.

Tabitha Walker, prosecuting, said Chambers was arrested in Cwmbran town centre last August after police received reports he was “following young women around and filming them”.

There was no evidence of him doing this but officers searched him and found two mobile phones that had wiping apps which were prohibited by the terms of his SHPO.

The defendant, formerly of Cwmbran, now Clarence Place, Newport, admitted the breach.

Cardiff Crown Court heard Chambers was jailed for 22 months in 2021 after being caught exposing himself on a crowded beach at Barry Island when it was packed with thousands of sunseekers.

He was spotted stroking himself near a group of teenage girls.

A judge told him on that occasion he was “addicted” to flashing.

Chambers has 33 previous convictions for sex offences – the majority for exposure – dating back to the early 1980s.

Ruth Smith, representing him, said: “He’s a defendant who has struggled with a compulsion to expose himself in the past.

“He’s someone who has indicated a willingness to engage in programmes and is making the most of the use of his time in custody.”

Judge Paul Hobson told Chambers: “You are a committed and persistent sex offender.

“You were warned about this software and it seems to me the breach was deliberate.”

Chambers was jailed for 12 months and told he would serve half of that time in custody before being released on licence.

He was ordered to pay a victim surcharge following his release from prison.