Camera ban for supermarket voyeur

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A voyeur who filmed underneath women's skirts in a supermarket has been ordered not to use a camera in public for two years at Preston Crown Court.

The Hungarian national was given the anti-social behaviour order after he admitted outraging public decency.

Szilard Szlavec, 30, of Northcote Road, Preston, secretly captured moving images of three women at the Morrisons store in Preston on 31 May.

The judge said he was treating the matter as a basic offence of voyeurism.

Judge Woolman said he would not impose a custodial sentence and also gave the defendant a 12-month community service order with a direction that he performs 80 hours of unpaid work.

'Disgraceful offence'

A security guard had spotted a camera device attached to the strap Szlavec's rucksack and that he was positioning himself near women wearing short skirts.

Adrian Williams, defending, said the motivation of his client remained unclear but accepted it must have been for personal gratification.

There was no evidence that he intended to sell or distribute the images, he added.

Sentencing, Judge Andrew Woolman said: "This was a disgraceful offence.

"Fortunately none of the women discovered what you were doing but if they had they would have been severely shocked by your behaviour.

"If this is to occur again you will go to prison either for the offence itself if you take photographs or for the serious offence of a breach of an anti-social behaviour order."