The accused masturbated on the Paris metro in front of a woman (Representational)

A French court on Monday sentenced a man to eight months suspended jail after he masturbated on the Paris metro in front of a woman who filmed the offence.

The Bangladeshi man, 48, who works in the fast food industry, was ordered to pay 500 euros in damages to the woman as well as another woman who had reported the same behaviour.

He was also ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment.

The 20-year-old woman who filmed him posted the video on Twitter on December 12 and asked the Paris transport authorities to take action. She also filed a complaint for indecent exposure.

The video went viral and several women reported recognising the man and recalling similar offences. A second woman then filed another complaint. The man gave himself up to the police.

Both plaintiffs emphasised at the hearing this was not the first time that they had experienced this.

A psychiatrist who examined the man said that he was addicted to sexual fantasy, while the man said he had suffered due to an operation on his testicles several years back.

According to French statistics published in 2017, some 267,000 people, mainly women, reported suffering sexual harassment on public transport in 2014 and 2015.