A convicted serial flasher repeatedly exposed himself while behind bars in a bizarre bid to be deported.

Canterbury Crown Court heard Terrance Kamara would ring his emergency cell alarm as a ruse to attract a guard.

Then, once he knew they were female, would greet them with the shocking sight of his bare genitals as they peered through his door's observation panel.

The 27-year-old was serving at HMP Elmley on the Isle of Sheppey at the time for flashing women and girls at Canterbury's Whitefriars shopping centre and a Boots store in March last year.

He later told police he made certain the officer who came to his cell was a woman before dropping his trousers and pants as he feared a male officer would beat him up.

Even the warning of being filmed by a bodyworn camera did not deter him as he simply moved closer to the door, making grunting noises while performing a sex act.

Then, after he had been placed on report, his deviant behaviour escalated when he slapped another female guard's backside so hard he left a bruise.

She later described him as "creepy and concerning", adding she was shocked by the force he had used.

Prosecutor Ian Foinette said that on October 6 last year Kamara's cell alarm rang at around 8.30pm. The officer who responded was asked for a pen and as she left, the bell sounded again.

"She went back, put on the night light from outside which illuminated the inside and opened the observation panel on the cell door," he told the court.

"She could see the defendant was standing back about a foot from the door. His trousers and pants had been pulled down just past his groin and he was standing there, masturbating.

"She could clearly see his genitals and observe what was going on. She told him to stop pressing his bell and to stop masturbating but he continued to masturbate.

"She told him she was going to put on her bodyworn camera and he moved closer to the door, still masturbating, making grunting noises, and staring at her. But he was so close to the door she couldn't see his groin area."

The officer walked away, only for Kamara to again sound his cell alarm. She returned and, on seeing him continuing with his obscene activity, told him he would be placed on report.

The court heard Kamara, a Sierra Leone national, had exposed himself in prison twice before, in July and August that year, and in similar circumstances.

"When interviewed he could not recall specific dates or officers but admitted he would masturbate in front of female officers because he wanted to be deported and thought this was a way of making that happen," continued the prosecutor.

"He said he would always ring the bell once and ask for something so he could check if it was a male or female officer on duty.

"He said if it was a male he wouldn't masturbate as he feared they would hurt him and so would wait for a female."

It was in November last year that he sexually and physically assaulted another guard. By that time he had been sentenced to 28 months' imprisonment for the Canterbury offences of exposure and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

The court heard the officer was helping an inmate on the wing when she suddenly felt a forceful slap to her right buttock from behind by Kamara.

Concerned for her safety, she hit him with a "pre-emptive strike" and restrained him, said Mr Foinette. But as she escorted him back to his cell while shouting for assistance, he started digging his fingernails into her arms, laughing as he ignored her demands to let go.

"She described herself afterwards as being shaken up and upset. The slap left a faint bruise and there was bruising to an arm," continued the prosecutor.

"The sexual assault was witnessed by another prisoner who saw Kamara giggling and smiling afterwards as he was escorted back to his cell."

Kamara, of no fixed address, was not charged with the offences however until after he had been released from prison in May this year.

Appearing for sentence on Thursday (November 30), via video link with HMP Chelmsford in Essex, the former university student was said to be "apologetic" for his lewd and violent behaviour.

Jailing Kamara for a total of 56 weeks, Judge Simon James said the victims of his "inappropriate" actions were "entitled to look at the courts for protection in their workplace."

"These offences involved a degree of humiliation of public servants whose duties and working environment is already difficult and challenging," he added.

Detective Sergeant James Greagsby, of the Prison Crime Investigation Team, said: ‘We are committed to tackling violence, abuse and intimidation against women, regardless of where these offences may take place.

“Staff working in prisons are no different and should not have to accept being subjected to such appalling actions during the course of their duties.

“Just like any other victim of sexual offences, the abuse suffered at the hands of offenders like Kamara can have lasting and sometimes devastating effects.”