Judge jails 'spying' councillor

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/hampshire/6284812.stm

Version 0 of 1.

A Hampshire councillor who set up a spy camera to secretly film a woman and two teenage girls using his bathroom has been jailed for four months.

Neil Redrup, a Ministry of Defence database manager at the time, put the camera in an airing cupboard with the lens spying through a hole at his home.

Redrup, 45, regularly invited teenagers to parties at his home, a court heard.

He pleaded guilty to four charges of voyeurism and one for gross indecency between January and December 2005.

The complainant in count one, who was only aged 14, looked on you effectively as her dad, she felt she had a special relationship with you Judge Tom Longbotham

On Monday, Carl Anderson, prosecuting, told Southampton Crown Court there was a "never-ending free supply of alcohol" available at the parties at Redrup's Gosport home.

He set up the camera angled towards the toilet and secretly filmed two girls, aged 14 and 16, using the lavatory.

Judge Tom Longbotham, who jailed Redrup, a former Labour councillor, for four months on each count to run concurrently, told him he would be on licence when released.

Judge Longbotham said: "Sadly the offences that you have committed are such that they represent a very serious breach of trust apart from anything else.

"For example the complainant in count one, who was only aged 14, looked on you effectively as her dad, she felt she had a special relationship with you.

"You met her mother and her family, became friendly with them and they, no doubt, felt that she was safe coming round to your house."

Suicide attempt

The court heard that after the offences came to light the victims were "shocked and disgusted about it".

Redrup also videoed a 30-year-old woman, whom he had met in an internet chat room, as she was naked in his shower on two occasions when she visited his home.

His lodger alerted police after Redrup gave him a video featuring the secret footage, which Mr Anderson said was filmed for Redrup's "titillation".

The court heard Redrup started drinking heavily and suffered a mental breakdown, attempting suicide, following the break-up of his long-term relationship.