A man accused of ogling a woman in St John’s Wood as she undressed in her bedroom exclaimed ‘sexy ladies’ when he was arrested, a court heard.

Abubakar Omar, 23, of Mary Green, St John’s Wood, allegedly stood leering at Yasmin Brook as she disrobed in Abercorn Place.

Ms Brook claims she spotted Omar eyeing her up twice and called the police who arrested him near the scene.

Westminster Magistrates Court heard when asked what he had been up to, Omar is said to have replied: “Sexy ladies, sexy ladies.”

Omar - who lives within a mile of Ms Brook - now admits he was nearby, but claims he did not see her and claims he was trying to ask police: “What ladies are you talking about?”

He listened to the case at through an interpreter after pleading not guilty to one count of harassment without violence on November 28 last year.

Nathan Miebai, prosecuting, said: “We say that the reference to ‘sexy ladies’ is a reference to what the defendant was doing prior to being arrested.

“It’s a very straightforward case, the complainant says that she sees the defendant on two separate occasions on the same evening looking into her window as she is getting undressed.

“The defendant attended an identification procedure where she identified the defendant in relation to these acts.”

Tom Beynon, defending, said: “One of the officers says he is saying the words ‘sexy ladies’.

“Quite clearly the way they put it in the statement isn’t accepted at all.”

District Judge Quentin Purdy fixed a trial date for August 4 at City of London Magistrates’ Court and granted a request for Ms Brooks to give evidence there from behind a screen.

Omar is barred from going to Abercorn Place while on conditional bail.