A former businessman preyed on women and children by concealing a secret camera in toilets to take intimate pictures.
After Philip Woolmer was caught red-handed by one of his victims, he said: “I’ve made a silly mistake. It was just fun.”
He then claimed that he did not get sexually aroused by the images.
But the judge sentencing the 67-year-old for two charges of voyeurism and one of making indecent images of children, told him: “It’s clear it was to meet your own selfish sexual desires.”
The crimes were committed in June 2022 at two locations in the Rochester area, Maidstone Crown Court heard.
The first set of offences came to light when a woman, identified as Miss B, noticed a black box stuck to the back of a sanitary bin in a ladies’ toilet.
She took it apart and saw there was a camera with a lens and SD card inside.
Realising he had been caught, Woolmer took the device saying “It’s mine” – claiming it was a sensor.
Police were called and raided his home in Chattenden.
During the search, they found indecent images of children which had been captured on the hidden device.
The dad admitted the offences at Medway Magistrates’ Court on August 14 when the bench decided it did not have sufficient powers to deal with the case and sent it to the crown court for sentencing.
‘It’s clear it was to meet your own selfish sexual desires…’
Several of his victims attended Tuesday’s hearing to see him handed a 21-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.
Two mums showed courage reading their victim impact reports from the witness box telling Judge Catherine Moore of the harrowing ordeals their families had suffered.
One of them said she still would not let either of her two children go to the toilet until she had checked the cubicle for devices.
The other said her daughter cried herself to sleep after being caught on film.
A total of 17 clips were shown involving eight women and three children, including a young boy, many revealing the victims’ genitals.
Several upskirting images revealing a woman’s underwear and naked thighs were produced.
There was also one of Woolmer looking at the camera and touching the zip to his flies.
As Woolmer sat in the dock wearing a dark grey suit, his head hung in shame, a letter he penned to affected families was also read out.
Professing his sorrow, he wrote: “The disgust and shame I feel will be with me every day of my life. I am so sorry.”
He also apologised to his wife who has supported him throughout the legal process.
Defence counsel Kerry Waitt said: “There’s no doubt this is disgusting and shameful behaviour on my client’s part
“He’s lost his professional standing, he’s lost his standing in the community and lost the regard of people who know him.”
Prosecutor Fabio Vitiello said: “There was a significant degree of planning and abuse of trust.”
The court heard how he positioned the camera to capture different images and is also pictured testing his equipment.
The court heard Woolmer had no previous convictions and suffered from ill health and anxiety.
He had a serious stroke in 2018 and is still undergoing treatment at St Thomas’ Hospital in London.
He has recently has been diagnosed with cancer and is about to undergo several months of radiotherapy after a growth was discovered on his head.
Sentencing him, Judge Moore said: “You have shown no regard for people’s privacy.”
She added that it wasn’t a “one-off” case and acknowledged there had been a degree of planning .
He was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years and is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Judge Moore added a clause to the order banning Woolmer from entering any toilet designated for females.
He was also ordered to pay a total of £2,350 to his victims.
