OFFENDER JAILED FOR SECRETLY PHOTOGRAPHING WOMEN ON TRAIN
A SEXUAL ABUSER has been jailed for two years for taking more than 1,000 covert pictures of women.Andrew Mackie, aged 39, of Brick Street in Howley, was sentenced after breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) when he appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on November 6.The court was told that the sex predator was identified on a train from Preston to Wigan by a plain clothes British Transport Police officer.
He was removed from the train at Wigan for a routine check and was found to be in possession of a camera phone – an item that the SOPO prohibited him from carrying.
An examination of his phone revealed that Mackie had taken over 1,000 discreet images of women without their knowledge, violating their privacy and breaching his court order.
Sergeant Andy Tomkins of BTP emphasized that SOPOs are designed to protect the public, and breaching them results in legal action.
Mackie's use of a camera phone for such images not only broke his order but also intruded upon the victims' privacy.
He was sentenced to two years in prison, serving as a warning that the police and courts take violations of SOPO regulations seriously.
