Locations
Ebbor Lane, Wookey Hole, BA5
Description
A pervert who sneaked a secret camera into a bathroom and filmed a woman draped just in a towel has been jailed for a total of 18 weeks after admitting four counts of voyeurism.
Daniel Chalmers obtained footage of the female in a state of undress at an address in Glastonbury and when the camera was discovered by another person the matter was reported to the police several years later.
When Chalmers appeared before Somerset Magistrates at Yeovil to be sentenced he said he had taken many steps to address what happened but had now lost a lot of his social standing and respect from friends and people he cared about.
He said he was a creative person and said his upbringing had been confusing, especially around sex.
He said he did not know what was acceptable and what was not and had been exploring the boundaries of his inner adolescent sexuality.
Chalmers, 42, of Ebbor Lane, Wookey Hole, pleaded guilty to three counts that on or before March 16, 2016, at Glastonbury he recorded another person doing a private act with the intention that he, for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, looked at an image of that person doing the act, knowing that they did not consent to that recording.
He also admitted installing equipment with the intention of enabling himself, for the purpose of his own sexual gratification, to observe another person doing a private act, knowing that they had not consented.
Prosecutor Suzie Butler said that the police were contacted after the hidden camera was found in a bathroom.
It was discovered to be a recording device that looked like a USB stick and it loaded up a number of files, she said.
When it was viewed it showed images of a female who was just wearing a towel.
Chalmers asked the person who had found it if they had taken anything from the bathroom and appeared to be quite upset and said he really needed it.
When he was interviewed by police he said he felt an enormous sense of remorse having lost the trust of his family.
He said his upbringing was confusing, especially around sex, and he had been made to feel ashamed by his mother after accessing porn at an early age even though she was having sexual relationships, she said.
He said he did not know what was acceptable and what was not and felt ashamed and appalled at his actions.
He said his intention was to see how it felt to use a remote recording device and was exploring the boundaries of his inner adolescent sexuality.
He said he did not know why he had filmed it and never actually saw the footage.
But he said it was not so much for sexual gratification but finding the boundaries between right and wrong and trying to understand that.
The court heard that the defendant worked at festivals during the summer and was also a craftsman making jewellery and taught bush craft skills.
Chalmers addressed the court himself and said that in the two years since the offence he had taken many steps to address what happened and had now lost much of his social standing, respect and trust, along with the woman he loved.
He said: I am so remorseful and upset at my behaviour and have lost my family and the respect of people and myself and it has led to a profound change in me.
He added that he was willing to financially support any of the people who had been affected by his actions if they needed counselling or professional support.
Chair of the magistrates, Mary Ellis, told the defendant there had been a serious abuse of trust and his offending had crossed the custody threshold.
You bought a camera and chose to place it in the bathroom and it was not a chance occurrence but a deliberate plan, however you view it, she said.
They sentenced Chalmers to a total of 18 weeks in prison and ordered him to be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for the next seven years. A 115 victim surcharge was also imposed, payable on his release.