A MAN who made sexual advances to two paperboys has been given a community order – but has been allowed to go on holiday before part of his punishment starts.

Mark Royall, 25, exposed himself to a 14-year-old boy in the centre of Oxford before making a lewd comment to another 14-year-old in Abingdon while on bail.

At Oxford Crown Court yesterday, Recorder James Gutherie gave him three years’ probation and a three-month curfew, but said this would not start until Royall returned from a holiday in Skegness on September 2.

Nigel Ogborne, prosecuting, said: “On October 17, a 14-year-old boy picked up his papers at 5.30am.

“At 6.10am he saw a man walking towards him.

“The male continued to walk towards him and came within about 2.5m of the boy, who saw that his penis was hanging out of his trousers.

“He walked past the boy and looked at him and said, ‘I’ll be back’.

“He was really scared and scared of getting sexually assaulted.”

Mr Ogborne said the boy carried on putting papers through letterboxes and the man walked on, but then turned round and began walking back towards him.

He said the boy got on his bike and cycled to some flats where he knew a night security guard was on duty, and convinced him to call the police.

Royall, of Shadwell Road, Berinsfield, was arrested soon afterwards.

Mr Ogborne said the victim told police Royall had also approached him at 5.45am and spoke to him from his car.He told the court: “The man said, ‘Have you got a paper?’.

“The boy said he hadn’t and could see the man moving his right hand up and down in his lap.”

The court heard that at about 8am on July 10, while on bail for the first offence, Royall also approached another 14-year-old paperboy in Abingdon.

Mr Ogborne said: “The boy cycled past the man and the man winked at him.

“He carried on the paper round, but then saw the same man walking down the road.

“He (Royall) said ‘do you want to (perform a sex act)?’.

“The boy darted across the road, worried the man would follow him, and the male got into a silver Vauxhall people-carrier.”

Royall admitted using words to cause harassment, alarm or distress in relation to this incident and one count of exposure.

James Reilly, defending, agreed with the recommendations of his client’s pre-sentence report and did not address the judge any further.

Recorder James Gutherie said he did not want Royall’s holiday to “cause any difficulties” at the start of his curfew.

He said: “The nature of these offences is bound to give any court great concern, particularly because of the age of the boys and the possibility that this represents a pattern of offending.”

Royall will also sign the sex offenders’ register for five years and attend a sexual-offending group programme.