A Carlisle man has pleaded guilty to a charge colloquially known as ‘upskirting’, the offence is that he operated equipment (mobile phone) beneath clothing of another person without their consent.
Dean Craig, 24, of Freer Court, Denton Holme, Carlisle appeared at the North and West Cumbria Magistrates Court on Rickergate, Carlisle.
The accusation is that on 10th September in Carlisle, he operated (a mobile phone) beneath a persons clothing (skirt) to observe their underwear for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, this was sexually intrusive by taking a photo of this nature under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
The new upskirting law came into force in April this year.
Craig pleaded guilty today (Tues), the court was told the offence took place in the Sainsbury’s supermarket on Church Street in Carlisle.
The female victim sat at the back of court with some of her family during the hearing, she made a verbal impact statement to the Magistrates in which she explained at the time of the incident she was unaware until a member of staff spoke to her, the incident was captured on the stores CCTV and showed Craig kneeling down in one of the aisles with a mobile phone where the victim was shopping.
She went on to say she “felt dirty and was worried she had been targeted and was very emotional after she was shown the images of Craig taking the photos.”
Craig’s lawyer Antony Wilson said the lady was not targeted and his client offered genuine apologies it was a moment of madness, the lawyer went on to say his client told him he would “not have viewed the photos or showed them to anyone else and would have just deleted them”.
After hearing from a member of the Probation Service the magistrates sentenced Craig to a Community Order of 12-months with 25-days of a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, he also has to complete 80-hours of unpaid work, he was also ordered to pay the victim £500 in compensation, and placed on the national Sex Offender Register for five-years.
