A swimmer was shocked to see a camera pointing at him while he was half-naked changing in a cubicle at public baths, a court was told.

The stunned swimmer could barely believe it as he saw himself on the screen of the camera, which appeared to have been deliberately placed into the cubicle in changing rooms at the pool, in Durham, in mid-afternoon, on April 6.

Durham Crown Court heard that it was clear the perpetrator was aware he had been spotted as he pulled the camera back under the cubicle wall.

The victim made sure that it was quickly reported to police and officers were waiting when the man responsible, David William Peel, emerged from the pool and he was arrested.

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Peel was taken into custody and made no reply to police questioning about his behaviour.

The victim described the incident as, “strange and upsetting”, and said he was left “shocked and embarrassed”, adding that the man responsible needs to be “stopped” from repeating the act.

Police examined Peel’s mobile phone and found five offending clips which had all been deleted.

Chris Baker, prosecuting, said in total there was five minutes of footage recorded on the defendant’s phone and it was clear he only stopped filming when he was spotted by the victim.

The defendant, of Carr House Drive, Newton Hall, Durham, admitted a single count of voyeurism when he appeared before magistrates on July 18.

A background report was prepared on Peel by the Probation Service prior to him being sentenced.

Cole Cockburn, for the defendant, said he was 46 and this was his first offence.

Judge Jo Kidd told Mr Cockburn that having read the report she was confident the Probation Service could manage the defendant’s future risk.

“I’m minded, therefore, to follow the recommendation in the report and to pass a community order in this case.”

But Judge Kidd said she was not minded to follow the suggestion of imposing a curfew on the defendant as he acts as a carer for two older people.

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She passed a two-year community order, during which Peel must attend up to 40 rehabilitation activity sessions and perform 140 hours’ unpaid work.

Addressing the defendant, she told him: “It’s difficult to know what got into you that day.

“There’s no indication you have behaved like that previously and it seems you were under extreme stress domestically when you committed this offence.”

She made the defendant subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and notification as a sex offender, both for five years.

The court was told a potential prohibition preventing Peel from attending public leisure facilities will be a consideration of the police officer acting as the defendant’s  offender manager.

Judge Kidd told Peel: “If this is to be repeated you must understand you could expect to go to prison.

“People are entitled to their privacy.

“It must be extremely shocking for that man who was in that cubicle.

“The best way forward is for you to be the subject of a degree of supervision.

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“If you don’t follow the directions of the Probation Service it will be considered a breach.

The judge added: “If that was to be the case, or if you commit a further offence, you will be back before me.”

She also made a deprivation order of the phone on which the defendant recorded the offending footage.