A PERVERT who secretly filmed women and children for his sexual gratification has been jailed.

Derek Manning admitted charges of voyeurism which involved filming females using a toilet or in a state of undress.

Manning, described as an isolated man whose activities had become something of an obsession, accepted he had hundreds of pornographic images on his computer.

While charges of outraging public decency were dropped at an earlier hearing, he accepted that for some years he had been ‘up-skirting’ – secretly filming up the skirts of women and girls. He had used a camera hidden in a carrier bag in Chester and Mold.

He was jailed for 14 months at Mold Crown Court and was ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

A Sexual Offences Prevention Order was also made in a bid to curb his activities.
Judge Philip Hughes said the offences went back to 2005. “The charges before the court do not cover in its entirety all your activity,” the judge told Manning.

He had been filming women who had no idea their privacy was being invaded. He had images of children aged between five and 14 on his computer together with a number of videos.

“This kind of offending cannot be tolerated by the court,” Judge Hughes said. Manning, he said, had a good employment record but the nature of the offences meant that immediate custody only could be justified.

Manning, 47, pleaded guilty to 22 other charges including three charges of voyeurism where he admitted secretly filming females doing private acts – such as undressing or using the toilet, making indecent still images and movie images of children, possessing more than 4,000 indecent images of children and 64 films of a similar nature.

Elizabeth Bell, prosecuting, said police executed a search warrant at his home in Wepre Lane, Connah’s Quay, last July when computers were seized and images and printed photographs had been recovered.

One image showed a woman using a toilet. The victim was left in a state of shock and paranoia after realising what had happened. Another victim caught in the same way said she was disgusted. And a young woman needed counselling after she discovered that when younger she was photographed in a state of undress in a bedroom.

Interviewed, Manning admitted secretly photographing females, downloading images and using a camera fitted in a plastic bag to film up the skirts of women in Chester and Mold. He had also filmed girls through a bedroom window and in a toilet.

Duncan Bould, defending, said Manning had no previous convictions but accepted the activity had gone on for some considerable time. The offences reflected the isolated nature of his adult life.

“These offences became an entrenched pattern of deviant behaviour,” Mr Bould said.

Most of the pictures were of the least serious kind. He admitted what he had done without prevarication and realised he had a problem. “He is highly motivated to accept help.”

Mr Bould suggested a suspended sentence so issues in Manning’s life could be addressed by the probation service.

Manning, said Mr Bould, had left his job because of the notoriety now attached to him because of his court appearances.