FORMER customs officer Stephen Turner hid his secret perversion for filming up women’s skirts for two years.

The married 57-year-old, of Cherry Wood Drive, Gravesend, would regularly spy on innocent shoppers for his own perverse gratification.

The sick passion was only halted when a store worker at Morrison's in Northfleet became suspicious and Turner was caught.

In an exclusive interview with the Gravesend Messenger, the married man apologised to all his victims and blamed his actions on work-related stress.

He said: "I’m ashamed. All those anonymous women I photographed, I do apologise.

"The worst experience of my life was the first day in the cell at Gravesend police station.

"I’m not a bad person. I was confused in many ways and I had stress from work.

"But I’ve got no real excuses. I did wrong and I’ve got to accept the punishment."

Turner admitted two charges of outraging public decency, one of voyeurism, and 14 charges of making indecent pictures of children

When arrested in June last year Turner also admitted he had done the same earlier that day at Bluewater shopping centre in Greenhithe, filiming women on escalators.

Armed with a video camera in a bag, Turner would follow selected women around and film them underneath their skirts or dresses, Maidstone Crown Court heard.

Three months earlier, he secretly filmed a female relative undressing.

Turner, who lost his job after 18 years as a customs officer, was sentenced to 240 days in prison, suspended for two years. He will be under two years’ supervision and have to attend a sex offender programme.

He was also ordered to do 200 hours’ unpaid work and will remain on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years. He was banned from working with children.

Full story in Gravesend Messenger. On sale every Thursday.