A mum said her life was "destroyed" after her paedophile neighbour secretly photographed her sunbathing in her garden.
Kim Leary discovered the "perv" had more than 50 pictures and videos of her after police raided his house back in 2020. The mum-of-two was shocked to learn her "loner" neighbour, Craig Dunderdale, had more than 1,500 extreme pictures as well as dozens of indecent photographs of children.
Dunderdale was given a suspended sentence and has now moved away from Kim. But she says her life has been "destroyed" and she no longer feels comfortable spending time in her own garden because it reminds her of his crimes.
READ MORE: Mum thought she would never be able to walk down street sober
The 39-year-old, from Chester, said: "I always knew he was bit of a weirdo - he was a loner, he didn't seem to have any friends or a partner. If anything I always felt sorry for him for it - never in a million years did I think he’d do anything like this.
"It turns out he had videos which zoomed in on my bum, boobs and feet - the way he did it was all so pervy. They were taken during lockdown, so it wasn't like I could even get away from it at the time.
"And after it all, he only got a suspended sentence. It feels like he's got away with it. Even though he doesn't live here any more, sitting in the garden still makes me paranoid. I can't erase that memory as long as I'm still here.
"I just want people to know what he did. People in his new area might not know what he does. He destroyed my life and still has a huge effect on me now - and he could do it to someone else."
Kim lived next to Dunderdale for three years before she saw police raiding his home in April 2020. She recalled speculating to husband Iain Leary, 39, that it could be something to do with indecent images of children, when they saw police taking his electronic devices.
She feared the safety of her son, then three - but little did she know she was a victim. Dunderdale returned back home a few days later on bail - but in March 2021, Kim got a call.
She said: "The police said they needed to see me. It turns out Craig had a stack of pictures and videos of me on his laptop."
Kim added: "He had three videos and over 50 images of me. I was wearing different clothes in them so they were taken over different days. In a lot I was wearing a bathing costume while sunbathing.
"They zoomed in on my bum, boobs, legs and feet. Some were even of me on all fours when I was picking something up off the floor in my swimming costume.
"When I found out, it was unbelievable. I'd always been nice to him if I passed him. I'd had no idea the whole time."
Kim had to remain living next door to Dunderdale for several months until the case went to court in September 2021. She said she found herself constantly on edge, knowing also that he had been found with indecent images of children on his computer.
She had a four-year-old son at this point - and by this time was also four months pregnant with a baby girl. Kim read a victim impact statement to the court, during which she burst into tears.
She told him: "You deserve nothing but prison time in my opinion. I can honestly say I hate you." He was sentenced on September 23, 2021 to a ten-month prison term suspended for 18 months at Chester Magistrates Court on August 13, 2021.
He was also ordered to complete 30 days of rehabilitation activity and 150 hours unpaid work. He was told he must observe a 9pm-7am curfew at his parents' address for four months, and be subject to a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order restricting his internet usage.
He was placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years, and he also had to pay £4,000 compensation to Kim.
She said: "He's moved away from Chester and it feels like he just got away with it. People probably don't know who he is or what he's done where he is now.
"He could meet someone and they could get married and she'd have no idea about it - he isn't a safe person to be around."
Kim is now in the process of moving house away from his old home where they were once neighbours. She said: "Even now he has gone, I still can't sit comfortably in my own garden and I never will while I'm still here.
"Here is forever tainted for me because it's always in my memory. Living next to him destroyed my life and I need to get away from it."
READ NEXT: Liverpool weather to be hotter than Portugal as sun set to return
'Sleepy' village in shadow of nuclear plant with no shop or pub
All the cost of living payments you will receive and when you will get them
Mum fed up of 'cheeky' and 'unapproachable' neighbours using her driveway for their car
