Derbyshire pervert set up spy camera to film woman in shower

Perv Richard Croft, 49, placed the filming device between two towels on a shelf in the house so he could secretly record the victim.

But a court heard she spotted the camera before she undressed and before any filming could take place.

The woman examined the memory card and it contained an image of Croft standing close to the shower seemingly checking it was set up and positioned correctly for use.

The ‘peeping tom’ also fraudulently applied for a credit card under the victim’s name, magistrates were told on Tuesday, May 30.

Croft pleaded guilty to a voyeurism charge of installing equipment with the intention of enabling himself, for the purposes of sexual gratification, to observe another person doing a private act.

He denied the fraud count but was found guilty of it following a trial at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court.

George Speed, prosecuting, said the offence took place at a property near Ilkeston on April 30, 2016.

He said Croft and the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had known each other for around five years but they were not in any kind of relationship.

Mr Speed said: “She returned home at around 9.30pm and decided to take a shower.

“She went into the bathroom and said something just did not feel right, something was wrong, but she could not put her finger on it.

“On top of a cupboard she saw a towel that had a hump in the material.

She went over and put her hand in the hole and pulled out a mini-camera.

“She then downloaded the card and there was a picture of Mr Croft on it positioning the camera to make sure it was focused on the shower.”

Croft told the court: “Voyeurism is a reprehensible act, I apologised to her (the victim), I accept of course that it is a serious offence.”

The hearing was told how Croft, of Derby, has no previous convictions for any offences.

He is due to be sentenced at the same court on June 15.