Jake Austin 31

Description

A man who secretly filmed women through the windows of their homes has been jailed for more than two and a half years.

Jake Austin, age 31, of Ipswich Road, Norwich was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday 22 July) after previously admitting five counts of voyeurism, three counts of upskirting and three counts of making indecent images of children.

Austin was first arrested in March 2024 when a woman in Norwich reported seeing him on CCTV footage looking through the window of her ground floor bedroom window.  Officers attended and arrested him nearby to the victim’s address and seized his mobile device. When this and other electronic devices were examined, detectives found hours and hours of voyeuristic videos. Some -  filmed from the street- showed women getting dressed and undressed in their homes. Others - recorded in supermarkets, pubs and in the street -  were filmed up women's skirts.

Detectives were able to identify six of the other victims and let them know what had happened, but some women in the videos were never identified.

Further downloads from Austin's computer also showed a number of indecent images of children.

In court he was sentenced to 31 months imprisonment and placed on the sex offenders register for life. He was also issued with a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

In statements read in court some of Austin's victims described the effect his offending had had on them.

One woman said:

"This was a significant violation of my privacy and the comfort I should feel in my own home. This experience has made me much more guarded around strangers"

Another added:

"It is a very strange feeling knowing that someone has been watching you without your knowledge. The fact that he decided to film me made me feel even more disturbed". 

And a third said she felt "vulnerable" when she was told she had been secretly filmed.

"When the officer told me, I was still breastfeeding my young daughter and this made me worried about a completely normal act and if strangers might use it for their own personal gain to take photos. It gave me a lot of anxiety."

Following sentencing investigating officer Detective Constable Matthew Hubbard said:

"Austin's offending represented a serious and sustained pattern of predatory behaviour. He deliberately targeted women who were completely unaware they were being filmed and did so both in public and in the privacy of their own homes without their knowledge or consent.

"He violated their privacy and I know that these crimes have had a profound impact on them.

"I would like to thank the women who had the courage to come forward and report these crimes, as well as everyone who supported the investigation. Their courage and bravery has resulted in this outcome.

"We would always encourage anyone who witnesses or experiences this kind of behaviour to report it to the police. Vouyerism and upskirting can sometimes indicate escalating behaviour so reporting it allows us to build intelligence and work to intervene to prevent further harm."