Man jailed for taking secret photos of ex-partner’s children

A man who hid a camera in his family home so that he could take indecent images of his ex-partner’s children has been jailed.

The children’s mother reported finding the images to police on 28 December last year. She told officers she had looked at his phone following an argument where she had suspicion that the man – who cannot be named for legal reasons – had been having multiple affairs.

She accessed two applications and found scores of inappropriate images – and immediately recognised that some of them were of her daughter and two young nieces.

She said the timestamps on the photos meant they will have been taken when her daughters were 11 and 12 years old.

The woman also found other photos which she believed had secretly been taken inside a tanning salon in Leicester. She told officers she had received calls from the man asking for his phone back when she reported what she had found to police.

As part of the ongoing investigation, the family home was searched by specialist officers under Section 18 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. Several SD memory cards were found inside their home that also contained indecent images, while a small, covert camera was found in the centre armrest of the man’s car.

On Friday (26 April) at Leicester Crown Court, he was sentenced to 26 months’ imprisonment having pleaded guilty to three counts of production of indecent images of children and two counts of voyeurism at an earlier hearing. He was also made subject of a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and a restraining order.

Detective Constable Sean Downey, the investigating officer, said: “Had his ex-partner not found these images and contacted police, there’s little doubt in my mind his offending could’ve continued to this very day.

“The fact he took photos wherever he could, capturing images of scores of victims without their consent, demonstrated his behaviour was completely out of control and done to fulfil his own sexual gratification.

“I hope this case serves both as a message to the public to report any suspicious behaviour to police and as a warning to anyone who thinks this sort of thing is in any way acceptable and that such crimes have serious consequences.”

• There are several different agencies who can offer independent help and support to victims of sexual offences in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland
• Further information on these services and details on who to contact if you have been a victim of a sexual offence can be found by visiting https://www.leics.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/advice/rape-sexual-assault-and-other-sexual-offences