A West Midlands police officer from Coventry, Alexander Hindmarsh, who surreptitiously recorded individuals use public restrooms and showers for his personal sexual enjoyment has been sentenced to 19 months in prison.
Alexander Hindmarsh, who resigned from West Midlands Police after committing egregious offences over nearly two years, entered a guilty plea at a prior hearing.
The 32-year-old, Alexander Hindmarsh, from Dulverton Avenue, Coventry, was mandated to register as a sex offender at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday, after being informed that his assertions of consensual voyeurism during police interviews were preposterous fabrications.
Prosecutor Robert Tolhurst informed the hearing that Alexander Hindmarsh, characterised as rapidly advancing towards the level of inspector, was pursued and apprehended by members of the public and store security personnel in Coventry on November 13 of the previous year.
The court was informed that the constable, who was on annual leave, was detained after a victim observed him using his phone to record over the wall of a bathroom cubicle at Coventry’s Cannon Park Shopping Centre.
Mr. Tolhurst informed the court that Alexander Hindmarsh was transported to a holding facility at Perry Barr in Birmingham, while law enforcement conducted a search of his residence.
The defendant said it was merely a confusion and an error, stated Mr. Tollhurst.
Despite the absence of a film of the incident resulting in his arrest, an examination of the responding officer’s phone revealed evidence of 39 further instances of alleged voyeurism.
A total of 28 movies of men utilising bathroom cubicles and showers, including some believed to originate from service stations in Staffordshire and Worcestershire, were identified, and Hindmarsh subsequently confessed to counts of seeing and recording individuals engaged in private conduct between December 2020 and November 2022.
The court was informed that the films depicted several victims in a state of undress, and it was evident that none were aware they were being recorded.
In delivering the sentence, Judge Dean Kershaw condemned Alexander Hindmarsh’s assertions that he confused one of the victims with his boyfriend and that consensual voyeurism is prevalent within the LGBT community.
I believe you were aware of your wrongdoing, yet you assumed you would evade detection while perpetrating these offences. That is the reason you persisted in the endeavour for an extended period.
The judge informed the former constable that these offences were committed for his sexual enjoyment.
I have viewed all of the displays. It is unequivocally evident that these individuals are not providing consent.
You are or were a police officer who undoubtedly would have advanced to the rank of inspector.
For two years, you indulged in this behaviour; your actions have repercussions, and you ought to have been more discerning.
I believe you were aware of your wrongdoing, yet you assumed you would evade detection while perpetrating these offences. That is the reason you persisted for an extended period.
In response to Alexander Hindmarsh’s explanation to the police upon his detention, the court remarked: You provided a ridiculous narrative replete with falsehoods.
The prosecution successfully dismantled his falsehoods, compelling Alexander Hindmarsh to concede his culpability.
The Crown Prosecution Service stated that the places discovered during the investigation included service stations in Tamworth and Hopwood Park, near Bromsgrove.
Julia Powell, representing the CPS, stated: These males were unaware they were being recorded while utilising public restrooms.
Upon his original arrest, Alexander Hindmarsh informed officers that he had assumed his partner was in the adjacent cubicle at that time.
During the police interrogation, Alexander Hindmarsh later stated that the incident for which he was apprehended was only a consequence of a misunderstanding, since he had arranged to meet a man from the Grindr app for recreational purposes.
The prosecution successfully dismantled his falsehoods, compelling Alexander Hindmarsh to concede his culpability.
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