A pervert who filmed people using the toilet over the course of a year left people traumatised, a court was told. Kevin Campbell, 58, has now been jailed for eight months after previously pleading guilty to five counts of voyeurism.
Campbell had put the camera in a toilet in Birkenhead and stored the footage of unsuspecting members of the public on his laptop. The footage was uncovered by an IT company in December 2020, the LiverpoolEcho reports.
During sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court, David Watson, prosecuting, read out a number of statements from his numerous victims, who are still traumatised after footage of them was used for the defendant's own "sexual gratification".
They said: "It is sickening and I still don't feel comfortable using a bathroom in public or at home. I quite often find myself worrying if I am being recorded". Another victim added: "I feel sick, shaken, weak and quite upset."
The court heard Campbell, who lives in Allerton, was "distraught" when probed on the videos - and immediately admitted his guilt.
Jonathan Keane, defending, urged the judge to consider the defendant's good character as he previously had no criminal record. Campbell was on bail for 14 months and Mr Keane said the defendant "genuinely suffered" during this period and has shown clear remorse.
The court heard Campbell had suffered with an adjustment disorder, which led to an attempt to take his own life. Mr Keane also said the "stress of the investigation" had taken its toll on the wellbeing of his family members.
Judge Brian Cummings, QC, described the case as "not straightforward" during the sentencing and said he considered the time taken for the trial, the defendant's risk of re-offending and previous good record as mitigating factors.
However, the "seriousness" of the crime and the length of the time he committed the offence led the judge to hand Campbell an eight month prison sentence. The judge added: "I am driven to the conclusion that only immediate custody is appropriate."
Judge Cummings also handed Campbell, of 3 New Heys Drive, a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years - and he will have to comply with the notification requirement for this duration.
