JOHN BANNISTER FROM TETTENHALL ESCAPES JAIL AFTER SPY CAMERA UP WOMEN'S SKIRTS IN PENDEFORD
| Red Rose Database
Tettenhall Child Sexual Abuser
In a disturbing case that has shocked the local community, John Bannister, a 38-year-old resident of Tettenhall in the West Midlands, was found guilty of using a covert spy camera to secretly film women in a supermarket located in Pendeford. Despite the severity of his actions, Bannister was not sentenced to prison but was instead given a community order, though he will be under supervision for the next three years.
The incident came to light in November 2012 when other shoppers at the Morrisons supermarket in Pendeford noticed Bannister behaving suspiciously. His unusual conduct prompted them to alert the police, leading to his arrest. During questioning, Bannister confessed to having constructed a sophisticated device designed specifically for voyeuristic purposes. The device was ingeniously assembled using household items, including a shopping bag, a camcorder, and a tin of potatoes, which he used to conceal the camera while he brushed up against women, capturing images of their undergarments without their knowledge.
Further investigations revealed that Bannister had been operating this device for nearly three years, during which he managed to record hundreds of up-skirt images of unsuspecting female shoppers. The police also uncovered that Bannister had downloaded a significant number of indecent images of young girls, some as young as six, from the internet. Between May 2010 and November 2012, he admitted to creating nearly 250 indecent images, which included material depicting minors.
In addition to the community order and supervision, Bannister was placed on the sex offender register for five years and issued a sexual offences prevention order that will remain in effect for seven years. His defense lawyer, Mr. David Bratt, stated that Bannister had been suffering from depression and had been off work for the past 12 months, adding that his client’s actions stemmed from an unhealthy fascination with inappropriate images.
Judge Martin Walsh, presiding over the case at Wolverhampton Crown Court, emphasized the seriousness of Bannister’s crimes. He stated, “You secreted a camera and were attempting to record images under the clothing of females in shops. You had also downloaded indecent images of children onto your computer. This is not a victimless crime because images of this sort show the abuse of real children, although there is no evidence that you were forwarding them to third parties.” The judge concluded that, in the interest of public safety, a community order with mandatory participation in a sex offender program was the appropriate sentence, rather than imprisonment.
The incident came to light in November 2012 when other shoppers at the Morrisons supermarket in Pendeford noticed Bannister behaving suspiciously. His unusual conduct prompted them to alert the police, leading to his arrest. During questioning, Bannister confessed to having constructed a sophisticated device designed specifically for voyeuristic purposes. The device was ingeniously assembled using household items, including a shopping bag, a camcorder, and a tin of potatoes, which he used to conceal the camera while he brushed up against women, capturing images of their undergarments without their knowledge.
Further investigations revealed that Bannister had been operating this device for nearly three years, during which he managed to record hundreds of up-skirt images of unsuspecting female shoppers. The police also uncovered that Bannister had downloaded a significant number of indecent images of young girls, some as young as six, from the internet. Between May 2010 and November 2012, he admitted to creating nearly 250 indecent images, which included material depicting minors.
In addition to the community order and supervision, Bannister was placed on the sex offender register for five years and issued a sexual offences prevention order that will remain in effect for seven years. His defense lawyer, Mr. David Bratt, stated that Bannister had been suffering from depression and had been off work for the past 12 months, adding that his client’s actions stemmed from an unhealthy fascination with inappropriate images.
Judge Martin Walsh, presiding over the case at Wolverhampton Crown Court, emphasized the seriousness of Bannister’s crimes. He stated, “You secreted a camera and were attempting to record images under the clothing of females in shops. You had also downloaded indecent images of children onto your computer. This is not a victimless crime because images of this sort show the abuse of real children, although there is no evidence that you were forwarding them to third parties.” The judge concluded that, in the interest of public safety, a community order with mandatory participation in a sex offender program was the appropriate sentence, rather than imprisonment.