Former Sheffield United striker Neil Shipperley pleads guilty to 'flashing his manhood' in front of mother and teenage daughter

The 44-year-old, who helped the Blades win promotion to the Premier League in 2006, admitted staring at the woman and her daughter with his manhood exposed.

Shipperley later handed himself in at a police station, just as his victims were reporting him, and the retired striker pleaded guilty at Uxbridge Magistrates Court to a charge of intentionally exposing his genitals intending that someone would see them and be caused alarm or distress.

The court heard that the incident happened on September 17 this year, when Shipperley was in his white Transit van in west London.

Taranjit Rai, prosecuting, said: “On that day at about 5.15pm there were two victims - a mother and a daughter, and the daughter was 16.

“The defendant was driving along at the same pace as them as they were walking along on the road. He was in his white Transit van.

“He stopped his van outside a cycle shop and wound down his window. They thought that he let them go across the road.

“The victim turned around to say thank you and at this point she looked down at the window and saw that he was holding his penis and looking at her face.

“The defendant followed them up the road and stopped by the traffic lights. This time the defendant wound down the window and proceeded to masturbate.

“The victim and the mother tried to take the defendant’s number plate.

“That was the point that he drove off towards Hayes station.”

The victims went to report Shipperley at the local police station, where Shipperley appeared again. He admitted what had happened and apologised, the court heard.

Mr Rai added: “He apologised for what he had done and admitted he had a problem, which is why he had gone to the police station.

“He said ‘it was totally unacceptable and, I have to say for the record, I did not know she was a kid’.”

Sarah O’Kane, in mitigation for Shipperley, told the court that he had felt “remorse and anguish” and added: “Mr Shipperley has lost his good character as a result of his guilty plea.

"He handed himself into the police and at a time shortly after the offence.

“He is full of remorse and anguish, he has lost his good character, and there are implications over and above that for his prospects of engaging in what he was proposing to do.

“The impact on him opposed to others is perhaps greater.”

Shipperley, the court heard, had hoped to coach an U15s side but may not be permitted to do so.

Ms. O'Kane added that her client may yet contest the suggestion he was performing a sex act.

“He accepts that he had his penis out,” Ms. O’Kane added, “but was not masturbating in the usual sense of the word.”

Shipperley’s sentencing was adjourned for a probation report. He will be sentenced at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court next month.