ANDREW RAYSON AND SHOCKING VOYEURISM IN HAMPSHIRE
A police officer employed by the Ministry of Defence was involved in a disturbing case of voyeurism, involving the deliberate filming of teenage girls and young children in changing rooms at a leisure centre in Hampshire.Andrew Rayson, aged 32, used his position and access to covertly observe and record women and children engaged in swimming, and subsequently followed them to changing facilities where he used his mobile device to capture illicit footage.
According to court reports, Rayson would hide or position himself in an adjoining cubicle, either by peering through a small hole in the partition wall or by extending his arm over the top of the partition, to secretly film his victims.
This sneaky activity was carried out over a period of more than three years until an incident in January that led to his apprehension.
The incident took place at Romsey Rapids, a well-known leisure complex in Hampshire.
A 16-year-old girl, who was in the process of drying her hair after swimming, was the victim of Rayson’s prying.
She observed a sudden movement above the wall separating her from the neighbouring cubicle—a bald head and an arm appeared unexpectedly.
She heard the unmistakable sound of two clicking noises, indicative of a camera shutter, and immediately relayed the incident to her boyfriend.
This discovery prompted a confrontation with the leisure centre manager, who reviewed CCTV footage and identified the suspect.
When questioned about the recordings, Rayson refused to reveal any content stored on his phone.
Further investigations revealed that, although he drove away from the scene, law enforcement officials had noted his vehicle’s registration number.
It was subsequently traced to a hire vehicle assigned to the MoD Police’s divisional support group based in Gosport, and it was confirmed that the vehicle had been logged out to Rayson on that day.
In an attempt to cover his tracks, Rayson claimed to his partner—who was also a police officer—that he had accidentally run over his mobile phone and had replaced it.
A subsequent police search of his residence uncovered additional evidence, including computer equipment and other images suggesting he had targeted multiple victims without their knowledge or consent.
Among the material seized, authorities found images of other individuals, including minors, who had been filmed surreptitiously.
Prosecutor Tim Dracass outlined that the footage he recorded varied in length, with some clips lasting only a few seconds while others extended to nearly a minute.
The impact on the teenage girl was profound; in her impact statement, she described feelings of upset, embarrassment, and disgust caused by the incident.
She expressed particular concern about the fact that Rayson was a police officer, which intensified her distress.
Rayson eventually admitted to ten counts of voyeurism and requested that 20 additional charges, related to five girls under the age of 18 and an additional girl aged as young as ten, be considered by the court.
His criminal behavior led to him being sentenced to 20 weeks in prison.
Furthermore, he was ordered to register as a sex offender for the next seven years and was banned from working with children.
During proceedings, Andy Houston, defending Rayson, emphasized his client’s personal losses, noting that he had lost his job, his friends, his partner, and his home.
Rayson had distanced himself from his relationship, moved back to his family’s residence in Nottingham, and expressed a desire to seek help through participation in a sex offender rehabilitation program.
However, the judge, Jeremy Burford QC, made it clear that only a custodial sentence was appropriate, stating that a community order would be insufficient given the seriousness of Rayson’s offending.
