A PERVERT who planted cameras in a girl’s bedroom and another who posted nude photographs of his victims online are among hundreds of flashers and voyeurs reported to North East police in recent years.
Killer cop Wayne Couzens returned to court this morning to face four charges of indecent exposure.
His alleged crimes are likely to be among more than 10,000 indecent exposure or voyeurism offences logged by police forces across England and Wales in 2020-21.
And hundreds of them were logged in the North East, The Northern Echo can reveal.
Campaigners have highlighted the need to take ‘low level’ sexual offences seriously and say there is potential for escalation if disturbing behaviour such as indecent exposure is not addressed at the earliest possible stage.
Appearing at Westminster Magistrates court via video link from Durham's Frankland Prison, Couzens chose to face trial in front of a jury over allegations he exposed himself on four occasions in the weeks before he murdered Sarah Everard in a case that sent shockwaves across the country.
In recent months, courts across the North East have heard from victims who suffered sleepless nights, shame, fear and isolation at the hands of offenders finally held to account over depraved and voyeuristic crimes.
Sarah Everard was murdered by Wayne Couzens
What is the situation in the North East
Nearly 4,000 crimes linked to voyeurism or indecent exposure have been investigated by police across the region since comparable records began in 2012-13.
And the area could see a record number of such crimes recorded in 2021-22, with 313 offences logged by officers in the first two quarters of the year, compared to 487 throughout the entirety of 2020-21.
Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said the offences were too often accepted as a “normal part of life for women and girls” rather than recognised as connected to more widespread gender-based violence.
The devastation caused by this kind of offending was made clear in powerful statements from the victims of Matthew Madden, who was given a suspended sentence in March.
The Darlington man took photographs of women dressing or using their bathrooms, loitering outside their homes to capture images for his own gratification.
The 31-year-old’s perverted behaviour was uncovered after he posted naked photographs of a woman online.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Madden had caused untold misery and upset.
Read more: Suspended sentence after Darlington voyeur uploads naked photos
One woman said she had been left feeling violated, adding: “I have been having nightmares and waking up crying.
“I also feel a sense of embarrassment and isolation as I don’t want to talk about what happened.”
Another said she was left afraid in her own home, always thinking someone was in the house.
Voyeur Ryan France, 25, was jailed earlier this month after setting up a camera in a teen girl’s bedroom and capturing images of her getting dressed.
He was caught after another woman spotted the images on his phone and reported him to Northumbria Police.
Voyeur Ryan France
A spokeswoman for the force said it is committed to supporting victims and bringing offenders to justice.
Echoing comments from other forces in the region, she urged victims or those with information about this kind of offending to come forward.
Read more: Voyeur jailed after planting camera in teen's room
CID Superintendent Helen Barker, from Cleveland Police, said these crimes can cause significant distress and were taken seriously by officers.
She joined a North Yorkshire Police spokeswoman in saying the nature of the crime meant it could be difficult to prosecute, due to suspects often being unknown and physical evidence usually limited.
Ms Simon, from EVAW, said low charge rates for many sexual offences could discourage people from reporting exposure or voyeurism, offences she believes are too often trivialised.
She said flashing and street harassment were “inherently harmful” to women and girls, and called for a overhaul of the criminal justice system's response to violence against women - towards "one that takes victims’ accounts seriously, investigates the actions of perpetrators rather than the character and behaviour of victims, and supports all survivors to access justice.”
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