A school swimming instructor has been jailed for two years for secretly filming women in states of undress at locations across Tayside.
Craig Brown was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years after he was found guilty by a jury in November. Once released from prison Brown will be on licence for a further 15 months.
At Perth Sheriff Court on Wednesday Sheriff Lindsay Foulis also banned the 31-year-old from entering mixed or female changing rooms for seven years.
Brown’s solicitor, David Homes, told the court his client had been seeking treatment since his conviction.
Sentencing Brown, Sheriff Foulis told him: “The offences of which you were convicted by the jury are serious offences.
“They are serious firstly and obviously for the effect your actions would have had on the persons of whom you took photographs.
“They are also serious because the period covered, as far as your actions are concerned, is just over 14 months. It’s not simply one location it’s five. There’s a number of photos taken of numerous women.
“There’s also the fact that certainly most, if not all, of your actions were in the course of your employment and accordingly there’s a significant breach of trust involved.
“In all the circumstances and in view of the gravity of the offences a custodial sentence is the only appropriate one in this case.”
Sheriff Foulis had debated whether or not to impose restrictions on Brown accessing the internet, as he had an internet search history including terms such as “voyeurism”, but ultimately decided against it.
Brown, of Balunie Crescent in Dundee, was employed by Dundee City Council and worked at schools and leisure facilities for years until his arrest.
He was caught after a woman spotted a mobile phone being held under her changing room cubicle at Perth Leisure Pool. His mobile telephone revealed hundreds of images of women in changing rooms, all taken without their knowledge.
Between April 2010 and February 2012, he took hundreds of pictures of unsuspecting victims, many of whom were traumatised by the revelation.
The offences took place at Craigie High, Menzieshill High and St John’s RC High schools in Dundee, Perth Leisure Pool and the Red Lion Caravan Park in Arbroath.
The investigation saw officers visit schools and leisure facilities across Perth and Kinross, Dundee and Angus, Central Scotland and Fife. Though accepting he had taken the pictures, he denied there was any sexual element to the offences.
He claimed he had barely looked at the pictures he captured, deleting them seconds after they were taken as he was more interested in the act rather than the results.
Prior to the trial he admitted taking or permitting to be taken indecent photographs of children at his home between April 2010 and June 2012 and also being in possession of indecent photographs.