Voyeur who hid secret cameras in coffee shop toilets jailed

Updated

A voyeur has been jailed for secretly filming thousands of people, including children and work colleagues, using cameras he hid in toilets at coffee shops and showers.

George Thomas carried out a "sophisticated, organised and long-running campaign" of voyeurism over more than six years, the Metropolitan Police said.

Thomas, who was a manager at audit firm Ernst & Young's London headquarters, spied on more than 3,000 men, women and children between 2009 and April this year - amassing over 650 hours of footage.

The 38-year-old hid small cameras in the toilets and changing rooms at his work and also in the toilets of Cafe Nero and Starbucks coffee shops in Southwark, Greenwich and other areas in central London.

He was arrested after a camera was found in a unisex shower room at his offices.

Police seized a key fob camera on which they found footage of Thomas planting the equipment and images they recognised as being filmed in a coffee shop chain.

Officers found a second camera hidden in the customer toilet at a coffee shop nearby.

After his arrest, officers found Thomas had two more cameras with him, and a number of hard drives and computers containing more footage were found following searches of his work locker and his home.

Thomas, of Glaisher Street, Deptford, was today jailed for four years after pleading guilty at Inner London Crown Court to 10 charges of voyeurism and five counts of making indecent images of children, Scotland Yard said.

He was also given a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Detective Constable Sarah Gardner, who led the investigation, said: "The images of unsuspecting people going about their daily business and having their privacy breached in this way was appalling.

"Thomas's offending was extraordinary, not just because of the sheer numbers of people he filmed but also due to the highly organised way in which he saved, stored and filed the footage.

"I would like to thank all of the companies that have assisted and supported the police through this investigation, particularly Thomas's former employers who were pivotal in helping us to identify him."

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