In 2015, the Offender Database recorded that James Webster, then 35, formerly of White Waltham, near Maidenhead, Berkshire, was spared a prison sentence for using a hidden camera to film up women’s skirts. On appearing at Slough Magistrates’ Court for sentencing, it was reported that Webster targeted shoppers as they bent over freezer counters at a Lidl supermarket. The court reported that the “vile” and “predatory” behaviour was uncovered in January 2015 when a witness spotted a camera lens protruding from the defendant’s satchel.
The investigation established that Webster crouched down and moved his bag under the skirts of oblivious victims to obtain “abhorrent” sexual images. Avon and Somerset Police (acting with local Berkshire authorities) reported that when confronted by security, the defendant tried to cover the lens and denied any wrongdoing. The prosecution reported that Webster, who later moved to Fengate, Marsham, near Norwich, Norfolk, eventually turned himself in after seeing a police appeal in a local newspaper.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Webster admitted to filming women’s crotches for sexual purposes, claiming he was struggling with a relationship break-up. Slough Magistrates’ Court heard how the defendant expressed “sincere remorse” and threw his camera away in disgust following the “vicious” incident. The prosecution reported that while the victims were unaware they were being filmed at the time, the act of “upskirting” was described by the bench as “distressing” and “extraordinary” for a man of his mature years in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
Presiding Magistrate Mark Lovett noted that the offences were “hardly accidental” and involved a high degree of planning. For his actions in Maidenhead, Berkshire, Webster pleaded guilty to one count of outraging public decency. The judge noted that because the specific charge did not qualify for the sex offenders register at that time, he would instead be handed a three-year community order with supervision and a mandatory sexual offences treatment programme to address his “predatory” impulses.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For his crimes in England, James Webster was handed:
- Community Order: A three-year community order with supervision.
- Rehabilitation: Mandatory participation in a sexual offences treatment programme.
- Financial Penalty: Ordered to pay £85 in costs and a £60 fine.
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Slough Magistrates’ Court following a guilty plea.
- Origin: Fengate, Marsham, near Norwich, Norfolk (formerly White Waltham, Berkshire).
- Location of Offence: Maidenhead, Berkshire.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Webster is managed under the supervision of the National Probation Service and local police. Due to the “calculating and predatory” nature of his voyeurism in Maidenhead, Berkshire, his conduct in public retail spaces is subject to monitoring by the Public Protection Unit.
Upon his relocation to Norfolk, authorities in that jurisdiction were notified of his requirements. Although not on the sex offenders register for this specific 2015 conviction, the “vicious” nature of his covert filming necessitates that he remains under professional supervision for the duration of his order. Any further reports of voyeurism, outraging public decency, or sexual misconduct in Maidenhead, Norwich, or elsewhere will result in immediate arrest and a return to the court system for a significantly lengthier term of incarceration.
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