[A] “CALCULATED predator” who used hidden cameras to secretly film three women had been jailed.
William Bate’s crimes were uncovered after police seized computer equipment from his home last May.
Analysis revealed 454 child porn images, including 41 classed in category A – the most serious. But police also found intimate footage of three females which the 25-year-old had covertly captured with concealed cameras.
One of Bate’s victims later told police she was left “humiliated, ashamed, dirty, broken and utterly violated” upon learning of his offending, and believed him to be a “calculated predator”.
Bate, 25, was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court today (THURS). He had admitted eight voyeurism charges, making and possessing indecent photographs of children, having an extreme pornographic image and the possession of cannabis.
Recorder Julie Clemitson heard he had taken “substantial” steps to address his wrongdoing. But, jailing him for 23 months, she said: “This sentence is not just about you – it is about the victims of your offending.”
Bate, of Waterloo Street, Cockermouth, must sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years, and follow the terms of a sexual harm prevention order.
