A DRIVING instructor had a 12-inch carrot in his trousers when he gave a woman a lesson, a court was told yesterday.

Bespectacled Stephen Cooney, 51, put the pupil's hand on his groin to pretend that he had an erection - then took the carrot out.

Mr Cooney, who was arrested after three women made complaints, told police that it was a joke.

One woman claimed that he groped her breasts on three occasions, said Rod Hunt, prosecuting.

Police found naked pictures of Mr Cooney in the glovebox of his driving school car, including close-ups of his penis.

He admitted that he had shown some of them to one woman with whom he exchanged saucy repartee, a jury was told.

Mr Hunt told Teesside Crown Court: "When you go to a driving instructor you may expect he would carry a copy of the Highway Code.

"You would not expect that in the glovebox of his car he had photographs of him naked, close-ups of him holding his penis and close-ups of his penis.

"And you would not expect a driving instructor to drive around with a 12-inch carrot down his trousers pretending he had an erection."

The jury of five women and seven men were handed copies of the photographs.

Mr Cooney was first interviewed by police after a student complained in September 2002 that he grabbed her breast.

Another woman reported him to police in April 2003 saying that she was extremely shocked by the carrot incident.

The woman, who accused him of groping her breasts on three occasions between August 2005 and February last year, said that he made the comment: "If you pass the test, will you run around the car park with your breasts out."

Mr Cooney, of Ronaldshay Terrace, Marske-by-the-Sea, east Cleveland, pleads not guilty to two indecent assaults and three sexual assaults.

Mr Hunt said: "The three ladies in this prosecution were unknown to each other. They were strangers until they met in the context of this court.

"His defence basically is that he denies he deliberately squeezed one woman's breasts - he accidentally caught, brushed her left breast.

"He had placed a carrot in his trouser pocket as a practical joke and he pretended he had an erection as her driving was so good.

"He did show some photographs to another woman, but none showed his penis."

The case continues.