A FLASHER who refused to attend a sex offender s programme was jailed for 22 weeks by magistrates this week. John McDonnell – who exposed himself to two women in March High Street – claimed he could not spare the time to join the Thames Valley Sex Offende

A FLASHER who refused to attend a sex offender's programme was jailed for 22 weeks by magistrates this week.

John McDonnell - who exposed himself to two women in March High Street - claimed he could not spare the time to join the Thames Valley Sex Offender's Programme.

"I am here for one thing only, and that is to go to jail," 41-year-old McDonnell told Fenland magistrates. "I have a business to run."

McDonnell, who is a self employed medical emergency technician, said someone else would run his business while he was in jail.

Back in May of last year, McDonnell, of St Peter's Road, March, was given a three year supervision order after admitting exposing himself, and he was ordered to take part in the sex offender's programme.

Back in court on Tuesday, he admitted breaching his order by failing to attend a two-week full time course, the start of a sex offender's programme.

The court heard how McDonnell exposed himself to a hairdresser and her part-time assistant on December 21 2007, masturbating before running off.

When arrested, McDonnell could not remember the incident, because he had been drunk. But he did admit having undergone hypnosis for a problem of exposing himself some years earlier.

Sending McDonnell to prison, presiding magistrate Lionel Cunnington told him: "There is no other appropriate way of dealing with you, because you are unwilling to take part in the programme.

"The purpose of this sentence is reform and rehabilitation, and the protection of the public.