Last week a voyeur from Maidstone was jailed after secretly filming a woman in the shower using a 'spy watch' before uploading the videos to an international pornography site.

With intimate image abuse - the act of sharing intimate images or videos of someone without their consent - affecting thousands every year, reporter Rhys Griffiths investigates this growing phenomenon.

Hidden cameras were once the preserve of spy movies - inserted into Bond's watch by Q Branch - or used by television prank shows to catch unsuspecting victims.

But the march of technology means that such kit is now available at bargain prices, putting covert surveillance within reach of the masses.

While this means many homeowners can now protect their property with remotely-accessible CCTV systems, it also allows those with more unscrupulous motives to record unwitting victims with ease.

And although examples of people being filmed secretly still remain relatively rare, every year thousands of people become victims of intimate image abuse - sometimes commonly known as 'revenge porn' - where pictures or video of them in compromising situations are shared without consent.

Revenge Porn Helpline, an organisation dedicated to supporting adult victims of intimate image abuse, says the number of cases it sees each year has increased significantly since it became a specific criminal offence in April 2015.

"I felt upset and angry..."

It is an offence for a person to disclose a private sexual photograph or film, without the consent of an individual who appears in the photograph or film, with the intention of causing them distress. In 2020 Revenge Porn Helpline dealt with 3,150 cases of this type, up from 520 in 2015.

Jo Lemaux is a survivor of domestic abuse, whose former partner shared intimate images of her with friends online without her permission. She believes this kind of abuse can be a sign of worse to come.

"Initially I felt upset and angry but by the end of the conversation he had convinced me that he had done it out of love," she said, recalling the moment she discovered her photo had been shared.

"He loved me so much that he wanted to boast about me to his friends. He was very well known and liked by everyone, he made it clear he could 'have any woman he wanted' but he had chosen me.

"I was firm that it was to never happen again and then we would continue the relationship. In hindsight I realise my mistakes and can see clearly now the red flags that I had missed at the time."

However, once her partner had possession of the imagery he soon began to use it as a tool to exert control over her.

"The following months were a living hell," she said. "He rapidly realised he could use that picture as a manipulation tactic. The threats would be consistent, 'do this or your picture's going online. Do you want everyone, your mum, dad, sister to see you like that?'

"He would accompany this with the most vulgar names and, knowing the picture he held of me, I believed they were true.

"This manipulation only ended when I found myself in a women's refuge. I left my hometown to get away and keep myself and my little ones safe. This is the reality of what one picture can do to someone's life.

"If I could speak to anyone in a similar situation as me, I would tell them: do not let anyone use this as a way to control you. If they share a picture of you then they are the ones who should feel ashamed.

"It is going to take me years to get back the person I used to be..."

"A picture does not tell a full story, no one should judge you by a picture that's been taken without your knowledge, or even shared without your knowledge. I know how common it is for people to find excitement taking pictures like this but it is paramount that they stay consensual.

"I have now relocated and began rebuilding my life and self worth. From one picture I lost everything and it is going to take me years to get back the person I used to be."

Maidstone pervert Floyd Winch was last week convicted of voyeurism and sentenced to a year in prison after he perched his covert camera on the side of a bath, primed to film his victim six times.

He subsequently uploaded the footage to a porn site and his victim only became aware it had been viewed thousands of times when a man in the United States contacted her.

Speaking following his sentencing, Kent Police investigating officer PC Raechel King said: "These were very disturbing, sexually-motivated offences, which were made all the more serious by Winch's posting of the footage online.

"I would like to encourage anyone who believes that they have been the victim of a sexual offence to contact Kent Police.

"We will work with you to find the best outcome and seek to bring any perpetrators before the courts."

However, we can reveal that the pervert who secretly installed spy cameras in the toilets of a string of Maidstone town centre stores in 2017 was never caught.

A security guard uncovered the first secret camera found in a public convenience at Broadway Shopping Centre, and later two more devices were found in the unisex toilet at Waterstone's in Fremlin Walk and Costa in King Street.

Asked about the hunt for the person who planted the cameras, a spokesman for Kent Police said: "Nobody was arrested and the investigation has been filed pending any further information coming to light."

The ease with which this type of equipment can be acquired may surprise some readers. A cursory search of online shop Amazon reveals just how cheap it can be to invest in equipment openly branded as 'spy cameras', with prices starting at little more than £10.

And the marketing material accompanying these products seems to leave little doubt of the potential for misuse. "No one will ever suspect that this clock has a recording camera" and for "capturing images and videos without anybody knowing" are among the promises made by the sellers of the cameras.

The law, however, can feel a little less clear cut. Voyeurism - defined by the Sexual Offences Act 2003 as observing another person doing a private act, without their consent to being observed, for sexual gratification - is a well-established offence.

Yet in the context of other forms of abuse the law is still seen to be playing catch-up with both technology and the uses offenders will make of it.

In 2019 campaigners succeeded in making 'upskirting' - the practice of taking a picture under a person's clothing without them knowing - a specific offence.

Tabitha Morton, deputy leader of the Women's Equality Party, said: "Despite existing laws against distributing intimate images without the consent of the individual, this problem is clearly getting worse for women and girls.

"Technology is moving much faster than current laws can keep up with, which is why we are calling for the UK government to expand laws on threats to share intimate images, and to remove caveats around the motivations of the distributor.

"Non-consensual sharing of any sexual image needs to be criminalised, full stop."

When it comes to your right to film on your own property - and the right of others not to be caught on camera - guidance to those looking to set up CCTV systems and other cameras at home says filming is permitted as long as it only captures images within your home.

The Information Commissioner's Office reminds would-be snoopers of the need to respect the privacy of others, saying that as long as your cameras - whether in the form of traditional CCTV, doorbell cameras, or even hidden inside everyday items like alarm clocks, watches and picture frames - only capture images within the boundary of your private domestic property, then data protection laws do not apply.

However, if your system records people outside the boundary of your home, then the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 apply and you must ensure your CCTV set-up complies with these rules. You are also not entitled to film people in settings where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

The government recommends people are transparent to those around them when using a private filming system, for example by informing neighbours about the cameras and putting up a notice informing people that recording is taking place.

Despite these rules, there will always be those who wish to record others and use those images for purposes the victim does not consent to.

A Revenge Porn Helpline spokesman said: "Intimate image abuse is a cruel and invasive crime. It’s important that victims are aware that they are not to be blamed, that support is out there, and that they deserve access to it.

"We see the rise in cases of intimate image abuse as both positive and negative. Positive because victims are increasingly aware that a crime has been committed against them and feel empowered to take action. Negative because these crimes continue to be committed.

"Calling us can and will help..."

"Victims of intimate image abuse need to know that there is support available to them and that they can take some immediate steps to regain control of the situation.

"Don't panic, remember you have done nothing wrong and are the victim of a crime. Screenshot all evidence, whether it is of the content itself or messages from the perpetrator.

"Report the crime to the police using 101. After you have contacted the police, or if you are unsure on how to do so, call the Revenge Porn Helpline on 0345 6000 459.

"We can advise on reporting to the police and on the law as it applies to each case, signpost to other relevant services and help with content removal - 90% of content reported to us is removed. Calling us can and will help."

If you have been a victim of intimate image abuse and require free, non-judgemental and confidential advice and support, contact the Revenge Porn Helpline on 0345 6000 459

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