A salesman who appeared in transparent tights and flashed at a woman in a gym car park was fined £900 by magistrates.

Bingley Magistrates Court heard that a gym member was "appalled and disgusted" when 42-year-old Mark Hill exposed himself to her in the car park of the Marriott Hollins Hall Hotel gymnasium and health club in Baildon last year.

And on an earlier occasion he struck up a conversation with one of the gym's fitness instructors in the car park while wearing transparent tights cut off mid-thigh with no underwear.

Hill, of Wrose Grove, Wrose, Shipley, denied indecent exposure with intent to insult a female and disorderly conduct causing harassment, alarm or distress.

He was found guilty on both charges yesterday.

He was ordered to pay compensation of £50 to Elyse Shankland and £250 to Paula Hollyoak. He was also bound over to keep the peace in the sum of £1,000 for a year and ordered to pay £263 costs.

Prosecutor Charles MacRae said Hill approached Mrs Hollyoak on December 3 at about 5.15pm in the car park, as she was about to go to the gym, and asked her whether his shorts were too thin at the back.

She ignored him and rang reception for help.

He got back into his silver Audi TT but shortly afterwards stood in front of Mrs Hollyoak and touched himself, with his pants pulled down.

A member of staff then approached Hill and asked him to leave. Police were called.

Mr MacRae said that in a separate incident in Septem-ber, Hill had asked instructor Mrs Shankland, who had just finished taking a class at the gym at about 2.30pm, whether his shorts were appropriate for the club.

Mrs Shankland said the shorts, made from cut-off women's tights, were see-through and she could tell he had no underwear on.

She told the court: "It was a funny situation but maybe it would be frightening for somebody else at another time."

Hill told the court he had the tights on because he had used the bottom parts as covers to protect his stereo speakers from his two Siamese cats and was wearing them instead of cycling shorts because they were more comfortable.