text: A builder who wolf-whistled a young woman only to be accused of sexual harassment said today she is a 'silly little girl' who was 'lucky' to have received the attention. Ian Merrett, 28, is astonished that Poppy Smart, 23, did not take it as a compliment, which he says has helped him 'snog loads of girls' in the past. The builder  and his colleagues whistled at her every day for a month as she passed their Worcester construction site. Miss Smart, who compared the wolf-whistling to racial discrimination, eventually filmed them and asked West Mercia Police to investigate alleged sexual harassment. Mr Merrett admits it was probably him whistling but called Miss Smart a 'silly little girl' who should never have gone to the police. He said: 'I'm sure if she walks past again and she is lucky she will get wolf-whistled again. I have wolf-whistled so many girls and got so many birds and snogged so many girls off the back of that, and never had a complaint before. But I've got a girlfriend so need to be careful what I say'. Scroll down for video . Fighting back: Builder Ian Merrett, left, was accused of sexual harassment for wolf-whistling Poppy Smart, 23, right, every day for a month, but he has said she should take it as a compliment . Mr Merrett, who was jailed for 12 months in 2009 for affray, also accused her of damaging the reputation of his trade and 'hard working' builders by trying to get them prosecuted. Miss Smart, a marketing co-ordinator, contacted West Mercia Police over the regular taunts and the force went to the building site in Worcester to warn the men about their conduct. She also filmed the whistles and handed the evidence to officers, who followed up Poppy's complaint but had not taken further action, the force said. Mr Merrett, who was branded 'disgraceful' by the judge when he was convicted for the unprovoked train attack six years ago, said: 'It's highly likely it was me who did that wolf-whistle. I've seen the news coverage and it's not right. 'Wolf-whistling is part and parcel of working on a site, it's complimenting a girl. I'm a builder and my mates are builders. We are all hard working people and our reputation has been damaged' 'I can remember that day when she took the video, we were under-pinning a wall that day. 'I only saw the back of her, I didn't even see her face and you can see in the video the wolf-whistle comes after she had passed the gate. 'I didn't even see her face, and I wouldn't recognise her if I fell over her in the street, so I don't know how that could possibly be sexual harassment. 'Police came to our site and said someone had made an allegation of harassment. They showed us the video so we stopped doing it. 'It's not worth getting into trouble over some silly little girl. I don't know why she complained, she must be thinking things above her station.' Mr Merrett was 23 when he received a 12-month prison sentence for an unprovoked attack on a Malvern to Birmingham train in 2009. Jailing him and his friend Anthony Hannay, Judge Amjad Nawaz condemned their 'disgraceful' behaviour after they repeatedly punched passenger Michael Powell in a drunken attack. At the time, the judge told them: 'Loutish behaviour like this is sadly becoming all too common.' Speaking today, Mr Merrett shrugged off the attack, and said: 'It was all a very long time ago when I used to go around town getting p***** up and fighting. 'I was sentenced for 12 months and served six months. It's the first and last time I've been in prison but not the first time I've had a run in with the law. 'As far as I'm concerned, it's in the past, I'm older now and I've got a job and a kid. I'm a different person.' Ms Smart recorded one of the occasions she walked past the building site. There is no suggestion any of the men pictured in the mobile phone footage (shown left and right) were involved in the alleged wolf-whistling . Crime scene: The building yard in Worcester where Ms Smart alleges workman wolf-whistled at her while on her way to work . 'Disrespectful': The 23-year-old marketing co-ordinator (pictured) claimed builders at a construction site wolf-whistled at her every morning as she walked to work in Worcester city centre . Earlier this week, Miss Smart condemned men who wolf-whistle, claiming it was demeaning and compared it to racism. She decided to take action after the workmen whistled and made disrespectful comments towards her as she walked past the building site on her way to work, making it unbearable for her on her daily commute to Worcester city centre. The marketing co-ordinator said it went on for at least a month before she decided to take action. She said: 'I had to walk past that way to go to work and it got so bad that they would actually come out of the building site at the time I walked down the road. 'I often had my earphones in but I could still hear the whistling over it. 'I eventually contacted the building company and the police when it got so bad I even considered changing my route to work but thought 'why should I do that?' 'I remember one of the builders, who was probably 18 or 19, got right in my face and said 'morning love' to me when he was stood with an older guy.' She told Newsbeat they often 'blocked the pavement' forcing her to walk around them. She said: 'I started wearing sunglasses so I didn't have to look at them. I started putting headphones on so I didn't have to hear them. 'Eventually it got to the day where I had enough.' Miss Smart said she decided to film the workmen on her mobile phone and hand the footage to police because 'women shouldn't have to deal with it.' She added: 'I've noticed this behaviour more and more around the city. 'Men will lean out of their cars or vans and shout comments about my appearance or whistle and I know and have seen this happen to others as well. 'I think more women should speak out about this behaviour, maybe it will make people think twice. 'Imagine hearing someone speaking that way to your sister, mother, wife or daughter. 'Personally I don't think that such comments, even if they are considered complimentary by the perpetrators, are appropriate. 'It is very disrespectful and is comparable to calling out at someone of a different race or religion.'
target: Poppy Smart, 23, accused builders of sexual harassment for wolf-whistling .
  Ian Merrett, 28, says she was 'lucky' and should take it as a compliment .
  He said: 'If she walks past again and is lucky she'll get wolf-whistled again'
  He accused her of damaging the reputation of men in the building trade .
  Miss Smart went to police who sent officers to warn the builders involved .