A SUSPECTED flasher who claims his neighbour mistook a rubber replica for his real penis said he was joking and does not “want to grow up”.

Eric Parton, who denies indecent exposure in a trial at Bolton Crown Court, was seen waving his penis around by a neighbour when she looked out of her bedroom window, the court heard.

He claims he was playing a prank using a novelty rubber penis, however.

Parton, who lives in Harwood, told a jury yesterday that a friend of his bought the fake penis on a holiday in Spain, from which they had returned on October 20.

He had been in Spain for a tattoo convention and said he and Roy Griffiths had shared a suitcase.

Parton said he was taking the fake penis back to Mr Griffiths when his neighbour saw him with it and thought he had indecently exposed himself.

He said he was holding the penis near to his crotch so his own CCTV cameras would pick it up and his partner Joanne would see it.

The 52-year-old, of Brook House Close, then says he went to a friend Keith’s house to play the same prank on his family inside who could see CCTV footage of their drive.

Parton said: “We bought a number of novelty things. A bottle opener with a man and a woman doing stuff. It’s Spain, you know?”

He added: “I was outside the house and wanted to see how it looked on camera and we were all laughing.

“I said to Joanne ‘does it look real’ and she said ‘yes’.”

Parton said he had checked that nobody could see his prank on partner Joanne before doing it.

He added that the footage, and that from his friend Keith’s CCTV, was not available as the hard drives only store it for a certain period.

Prosecution counsel Brian McKenna asked Parton: “What age are you?”

Parton replied: “I’m 52 and I don’t want to grow up.”

The trial continues.