Wedding guest 'took pictures up skirts due to twitch'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-34662939

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A PhD student accused of taking lewd pictures up women's skirts at a wedding reception blamed a nervous "twitch" for his behaviour, a court heard.

Collin Lieberg, 34, was allegedly spotted by guests and caught on CCTV angling his mobile phone under women's hemlines, the Old Bailey was told.

Alcohol affected the nervous tic he had suffered from for the past 10 years, making his arms, legs and sometimes whole body twitch, he said.

He denies outraging public decency.

'Socially awkward'

The offence is alleged to have taken place at a wedding reception at the Oyster Shed pub near London Bridge on 26 July last year.

Describing himself and his wife as "socially awkward", Lieberg, of Hills Lane, Shrewsbury, said he had drunk up to nine glasses of wine during the evening, making him progressively more drunk.

When the best man, Leo Steele, confronted him, Lieberg said he was shocked at the allegation and found him "very confrontational", the court heard.

Mr Steele, a Canterbury Tales theatre producer, previously told the court that when asked directly if he had taken photos up women's skirts, Lieberg, a University of Warwick student, had told him "possibly".

Before handing over his phone for inspection, he had done more than unlock it, Mr Steele had said.

Jurors heard that no pictures from the wedding have been recovered from Lieberg's mobile handset.

The trial continues.