Camera pervert jailed

2:47pm Friday 2nd February 2007

A PERVERT who filmed up schoolgirls' skirts has been jailed for two years.

The mother of an 11-year-old girl reported Kevin Preece, 41, of Ashvale Homes, Hartlepool, after she saw him pointing a mobile camera phone at her daughter and friends when they were out shopping in Stockton, Teesside, one afternoon.

Preece, who pleaded guilty to taking indecent photographs of a child on September 23, was staring intently at the girl and it appeared he was taking pictures of them, said prosecutor Harry Hadfield.

The mother ran to her daughter and told her to leave the store, and then spoke to the manager.

Preece's description was flashed to the town's CCTV headquarters and the cameras tracked him as he followed two girls of ten or 11 into two stores, and then emerged behind them.

He leant forward towards one girl with his left arm close to her skirt holding what looked like a mobile phone, Teeside Crown Court was told.

A member of staff at one store saw him place a small silver digital camera on a shelf.

Mr Hadfield added: "Police found he had been taking photographs of the underwear of young girls and of their clothed tops.

Sam Andrews, defending, said: "There is an alternative to custody because the probation authority have suggested that certainly the only guaranteed way of stopping this man offending in a similar way in the future is to work with him intensively through a Sexual Offender's Programme designed to do that."

Judge Michael Taylor told Preece: "Your behaviour was very disturbing.

"You must be made aware that society will not permit this sort of behaviour.

Preece was jailed for two years and given a Sexual Offences Prevention Order for five years banning him from unsupervised contact with a child under 18, and from owning a camera or camera phone.

He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years.