Police say Luke William Scriven, 30, is a recidivist transport offender who regularly travels on train without valid tickets.

However, on the night of April 23, it is alleged Scriven’s disregard for the law ventured into previously uncharted territory as he sought to pleasure himself in the near-empty train carriages of the 11.55pm Liverpool to Casula service.

A Sydney Trains security guard monitoring the network’s CCTV system allegedly first witnessed Scriven masturbating while his train was stopped at Liverpool station just before midnight.

The video footage, obtained by police the following day, allegedly showed Scriven board the train at 11.35pm and sit on carriage stairwell for a short time before allegedly placing his hand up his shorts leg and begin moving it back and forth.

In documents tendered to Wollongong Local Court, police described the movement as “consistent with the act of masturbating”.

It is alleged Scriven stopped and started the intimate deed multiple times over the space of about half an hour, stopping on some occasions when passengers entered the carriage and continuing the act on others.

The footage allegedly shows Scriven exit the train briefly at Casula to urinate through the fence, before he hopped back on.

He eventually exited the train at Warwick Farm at 4.45am, however apparently boarded another train sometime between then and 10am, when he was spoken to by police on the Glenfield to Campbelltown service.

Scriven was charged and ordered to front court however allegedly failed to show up, prompting a warrant to be issued for his arrest.

He was apprehended on July 28 but again given bail.

His case was briefly mentioned in Wollongong Local Court earlier this week at which time it was adjourned to later this month to allow Scriven to get legal advice.