Man filmed naked women at the Oval

May 13 2009 by Kevin Core, Heswall News

NAKED women were secretly filmed by a pervert at the Oval sports centre in Bebington.

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 Sports Centre.

Smith had pleaded guilty to eight charges of voyeurism and appeared at Wirral Magistrates Court yesterday.

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.

Prosecuting, Alan Currums said: “On February 6 the woman had attended with her husband for a six o’clock swim and went to have a shower in the communal changing rooms.

“She 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.

Mr Currums explained the footage was downloaded by police, finding footage of various pool users drying themselves, some naked, some half dressed.

Defending him, Quentin Neal said he had been appointed a health worker and Mr Smith was classed as a vulnerable adult.

He had no other criminal convictions and was of previous good character, pleading guilty to the offences at the first opportunity.

Mr Neal said that the videos had not been distributed in any way and his client was deeply sorry for what he had done.

He 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.

He must sign the Sex Offenders Register for five years; his camera was forfeited and the footage on it destroyed.