Wirral pool pervert caught

May 13 2009 by Kevin Core, Birkenhead News

NAKED women were secretly filmed in one of Wirral’s top sports centres.

Unemployed Paul Smith, 31, of Bracken Lane, Bebington, used a small video camera hidden in his shoe to film a succession of unsuspecting victims at the Oval SC.

It was only when he was grabbed by an enraged husband, whose wife had spotted the lens in the trainer poking under her cubicle, that police were called.

They found eight videos, filmed between January 30 and February 6, of women aged 20-30 undressing before and after swimming.

Smith was sentenced to 100 hours of community work and a two-year supervision order. He must also pay £100 to the husband and wife who alerted the authorities, as well as £80 court costs.

Prosecuting, Alan Currums said: “The woman saw Mr Smith before she entered the cubicle, noting that he was standing still but everyone else was moving around. As she was putting her trousers on she noticed trainers with a blue stripe under the cubicle wall, spotting a lens which was partly covered by a white sock.

“Her husband told her to pull the shoes toward her, which she did. He then knocked on Smith’s cubicle shouting ‘give me your phone’.”

Quentin Neal, defending, said the videos had not been distributed in any way and Smith was deeply sorry.