Suspended sentence for student voyeur

A student who concealed a tiny video camera in a shower gel bottle to secretly film women bathing in his hall of residence was yesterday given a two-year suspended sentence.

Charles Greaves, 19, considered a "loner" by fellow students at the University of Wales in Bangor, admitted to police that he had secretly filmed women using a shared bathroom. The student, from Telford, Shropshire, pleaded guilty last month to six counts of voyeurism and installing equipment for the purpose of sexual gratification.

Warning of the psychological impact on Greaves's victims, the judge at Caernarfon crown court sentenced him to nine months in a young offenders' institution for each count, to run concurrently, but suspended the sentence for two years. On hearing of the suspension, Greaves's parents burst into tears.

The prosecution said that around the time he tried to obtain explicit images of female colleagues, Greaves was often seen wandering around the corridors of his residence and sitting outside other students' rooms. In interviews with police, Greaves said that the weeks during which he committed the offences had felt "like a dream".

He first placed the hidden digital camera in a shower basin, with the lens pointing upwards, at the beginning of May. When this failed to provide adequate footage of female students, he moved the camera to the side of the bath and placed a printed notice in the bathroom informing students that the shower was out of order and they should take baths instead.

A student discovered the camera and reported the incident to police, who seized Greaves's laptop and a second camouflaged camera.

Andrew Green, defending, said his client "hates himself" for what he had done and wished to apologise to the women he filmed. "Adjusting to life away from home for the first time is not something that came easily to this young man," he said. "Although he did start a friendship with a girl, when that relationship ended he became depressed."

He added that Greaves had no intention of returning to university and had recently been offered a job as a chef.

Before passing sentence, Judge Merfyn Hughes said: "The psychological impact on the victims, namely shock and stress, will be significant and I'm not at all sure you are willing to recognise fully the extent of that harm. You have damaged your own academic prospects and brought shame on your family."

Greaves was placed on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.