A Geneva exhibitionist who disrobed and masturbated in front of children 150 times over a 10-year period walked free from court after being convicted of indecent sexual behaviour, according to media reports.

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The man, in his 60s, received a 14-month jail sentence in addition to an 18-month suspended term for inappropriate sexual behaviour involving children, exhibitionism and possession of pornography, the Tribune de Genève reported on Tuesday.

However, since the man had been held in detention for 14 months he was able to escape further jail time.

Some of the parents of children affected were unhappy with the sentence.

“I think that the liberation is happening too soon and that the follow-up has not been pushed enough,” one parent told the Tribune.

The man exposed himself and masturbated in front of children in the Parc des Evaux and a wood called La Bois de la Chapelle in the suburban municipality of Onex over a period between 2000 and 2011.

Sometimes he ejaculated, although he never touched the children, according to the news report.

The Tribune said that during his trial, the exhibitionist found himself in front of 15 families affected by his activities.

When police arrested him in 2011, he was in the process of masturbating in front of children aged 10, 11 and 12.

The man also admitted to downloading child pornography on to his computer after investigators discovered that he regularly visited pedophile, as well as “zoophile” sites (those depicting sex between humans and animals).

After a period of detention the man was able to return to work in June 2012 under the supervision of a psychologist while awaiting his court case, the Tribune reported.

He said he was “terribly ashamed” of what he had done.

But he admitted to the court that he still had “fantasies” about children and that he “was going to have to live with this problem”.

The court heard that the convicted man now regularly sees a therapist, while an expert said the risk of his repeating indecent behaviour was a “little bit more than slight to moderate”.

The Geneva court ordered the man to continue receiving treatment, including medical psychotherapy.

If he fails to do so, under the sentence he will be returned to prison.