by Paul Hooper

A former naval chief engineer performed a sex act in front of a startled schoolgirl on a bus in Lydd.

And a month later Stephen Talbot, 55, did it again... to the SAME girl.

Fortunately, the teenager managed to borrow a passenger’s mobile phone – and alerted police via her sister.

When the bus arrived in Pennypot, officers were waiting to arrest the pervert, Canterbury Crown Court heard.

Talbot, of Cheriton Road, Folkestone, has now been jailed for a year after admitting two charges of sexual activity in front of a child.

He had previous convictions in 1999 for three separate charges of flashing on trains in Manchester.

Denzil Pugh, prosecuting, told how the young teenager boarded the bus in Lydd one day in April.

Minutes later, alcoholic Talbot deliberately sat near her, unzipped his trousers and performed the sex act.

The prosecutor said as the girl became distressed, Talbot "caught her eye" - and winked at her.

"After getting off the bus she became upset and reported the incident to her family who made a complaint to the police."

Mr Pugh said that in May the same girl boarded another bus from Folkestone and spotted Talbot, who then proceeded to repeat the disgusting act.

"he told officers that alcohol had pretty much ruined his life…” – denzil pugh, prosecuting

But the prosecutor told the judge that senior police officers did not believe Talbot had been deliberately targeting the schoolgirl.

After his arrest, the former Merchant sailor admitted flashing – blaming it on alcohol.

Mr Pugh said: "He told officers that alcohol had pretty much ruined his life. He had been in the Merchant Navy and had got into the habit of drinking far too much and that he was now an alcoholic and had a damaged pancreas because of his drinking."

The ex chief engineer said he had battled the bottle, but "each time he fell off the wagon he behaved in this fashion".

Edmund Fowler, defending, said he had now contacted Alcoholics Anonymous to try to tackle his drinking problems – which he believed were behind "his sexually deviant behaviour".

Talbot – whose marriage broke up because of his drinking – has been given a 10-year order, prohibiting him from being alone with children.

He will also be on the sex offenders' register for the same period.