School caretaker, 42, hid camera in toilet roll holder to watch female teachers using the loo
A school caretaker who installed a hidden camera in a toilet used by female teachers was sentenced to prison after the device recorded him committing the crime.
Matthew Stupples, 42, who had worked at Wimbledon Park Primary School in south-west London for almost 15 years, put up an out-of-order notice on one of the two cubicles in a female adult toilet in the school last summer, making sure that teachers had to use the adjacent toilet.
The hidden camera in the toilet that the teachers were forced to use was discovered later by a school staff member, after which the administration alerted the police.
When investigators searched Stupples' house, they discovered 76 videos and nearly 150,000 photos recorded from 50 separate instances of people using the toilet, including one where a child was being assisted by a teacher, Metro reported.
Even as Stupples initially denied installing the hidden camera, his defense soon fell apart after prosecutors told the court how the accused was "very clearly visible" in one of the videos that showed him installing the device.
He later pleaded guilty to four counts of voyeurism and one count of taking an indecent photo of a child.
During his trial, it emerged that Stupples had used the same camera to record two women showering at his home on the school grounds. One of the female victims told the court she felt "violated and disgusted" after she came to know that she was filmed without her consent.
"When I’m reminded that he used these images for his sexual gratification, I feel my stomach turn. I fear seeing my body appear on the internet or on television. There hasn’t been a day after seeing those images that I have felt normal. I would never wish this on anyone." she said.
During his sentencing, the judge said that Stupples' actions involved quite some degree of preplanning. "Given the period of time that you falsely proclaimed your innocence, I can’t judge that you have demonstrated real remorse," he said.
Stupples was sentenced to 33 months in prison, as well as a five-year sexual harm prevention order and a five-year restraining order.