Voyeur given suspended jail term

A voyeur who devised a "sophisticated" network of hidden cameras to film up women's skirts has escaped a jail term.

Paul David Gay, 46, a self-employed IT consultant from Finsbury Park, north London, planned to sell the footage on the internet.

Gay, who admitted four counts of making a public nuisance, was given a six-month prison term, suspended for 18 months by Southwark Crown Court.

He was ordered to be under supervision for the same period.

Police found four films on Gay when they arrested him in Trafalgar Square in July 2004, and a further 12 at his home, the court heard.

They also found a "vast amount" of adult pornography at Gay's home, which the recorder, Martin Beddoe, described as "alarming".

'Gross intrusion'

The court heard how self-employed consultant Gay attached a miniature, upward-pointing camera onto the tongue of one of his trainers.

Gay also fitted a rear-facing camera into a shoulder bag, which enabled him to face away from a victim while images were transmitted to a hand-held camcorder, allowing Gay to adjust his position "for the best shots".

Passing sentence, Mr Beddoe said: "You were making covert recordings of women without their consent. You were filming up their skirts.

"This was a gross intrusion of their privacy.

"This was a sophisticated operation involving a camera in your shoe and another in your bag, all controlled by another camera you were holding, and used in a such a way to give the impression you were filming in another direction," he added.

Gay was also ordered to pay £200 towards legal costs.