A TERRIFIED woman was forced to flee a park after a man came up and started to masturbate in front of her as she read a book.

The man, aged between 35-40, came up to the woman as she sat on a park bench in Big Wood, Hampstead Garden Suburb, and asked her for directions to Hampstead at about 4.40pm yesterday.

She started to give directions when she noticed he had pulled his tracksuit bottoms down and begun to pleasure himself.

She screamed and went to leave, at which point he asked her “Aren’t you going to watch me?”.

As she fled the park she alerted a mother with her child about the man and they left the park together.

The flasher was white, with dark brown hair, about 5ft 10ins tall, of medium build with no facial hair wearing a dark blue or black cardigan over a tracksuit.

Anyone with information is asked to call Barnet Police on 0300 1232 1212, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 2405616/11.