A man has claimed a case of mistaken identity after being accused of sending a explicit image via text.

Although pleading guilty to sending a photograph of a penis, Lloyd Hampson, 49, of Perham Way, London Colney, was sure to point out it wasn’t his.

He said: “It was a big fat thing, it wasn’t mine.”

Mr Hampson claims that the text was sent by mistake and the original image was sent to him “as a joke”.

The woman who was sent the picture had contacted Mr Hampson on a professional level to enquire about fixing her oak door.

Mr Hampson then gave the details of his brother, who is a carpenter and advised the woman to contact him instead.

On the day Mr Hampson’s brother was due to arrive and fix the door, the woman received a distressing call while in the car with her daughter.

Mr Hampson was on loudspeaker in the car and said: “When he comes don’t let him in! Don’t let him in when he comes, don’t let him in!”

Very distressed from the call, the woman arrived home with her daughter and saw the explicit image, which had been sent before the phone call.

When Mr Hampson’s brother did arrive, she was too scared to open the door and called her husband, who then advised her to call the police.

In her statement, the woman said: “When his brother turned up I was too scared to open the front door. I called my husband to come home and he then said to alert the police.

“This made me feel unsafe in my own home as they know my address and that my door is working properly.

“I’m afraid to leave the address in case they are outside.”

The prosecutor at St Albans Magistrates Court on Friday said: “It might have been a joke but it has clearly had an effect.”

Mr Hampson was ordered to pay a £745 fine and was given a restraining order.