A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a middle-age man who performed a sex act in public after being hit by a car in Maidstone town centre.

Bouhlel Barhoumi denied criminal damage, two counts of assault and outraging public decency in July following the bizarre incident in the middle of Fairmeadow in April.

The defendant, who had previously insisted he would only talk to a Tunisian translator at an earlier hearing, was due to stand trial at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court but failed to turn up on two separate days.

He was convicted in his absence.

The court had previously heard the 44-year-old, formerly of Scott Street but now of no fixed address, was crossing the road at the junction with Bishops Way despite the pedestrian signal being red.

He was clipped by a car and fell over, with the offending vehicle driving off.

Barhoumi got up and threw his watch at another car belonging to Linden Ellis, who he falsely accused of jumping the light.

Mr Ellis got out of his car when Barhoumi started kicking it and was then assaulted.

He proceeded to expose himself and perform a sex act in the direction of the female passenger while spitting and calling out: “You can’t have this, you want this, you’ve never had anything like this.”

His actions caused £250 worth of damage to the Vauxhall Astra.

The police arrived and arrested Barhoumi, and he then flicked V signs at motorists and simulated further sex acts before wrapping his leg around PC Spooner and head butting him.

Barhoumi, who remains at large and missed an initial trial date in October, will be sentenced on a date to be determined.