June 2011 McDonald’s worker took toilet snap of girl, 11 A PERVERT who hid in a restaurant’s toilet cubicle and photographed a child has avoided a jail sentence. Mark Jones sneaked into the ladies’ toilets at the McDonald’s branch where he worked, in Newcastle Road, South Shields, and waited for an 11-year-old girl to enter and use the neighbouring toilet. South Tyneside magistrates heard how the 24-year-old reached under the cubicle and took two pictures using his mobile phone – but the girl ran back into the restaurant and told her mum. Jones, who has now been sacked by McDonald’s, was back before magistrates yesterday after admitting a charge of voyeurism at an earlier hearing. Bob Reeves, prosecuting, said the girl had been at McDonald’s for a meal with her mum, and wanted to use the toilet before leaving. Mr Reeves said: “There were three cubicles, and the girl noticed that the middle one was displaying the red engaged sign. “While in the toilet, she saw a hand emerge from underneath the cubicle. She noticed there was a phone in the hand with the camera lens showing, and ran back into the restaurant to tell her mum.” The court heard that the girl’s mother went to investigate, and found Jones, of Kingsley Avenue, South Shields, in the corridor leading to the toilets. He told her he had checked all the toilets, and they were empty. The restaurant’s manager was called, and suspicions grew when CCTV footage showed Jones putting something in his locker, where his phone was later found. Mr Reeves added: “During police interview, he said he had been cleaning the area and got it into his head to go into the cubicle and get something on camera of a female using the toilet. “He said that he did get sexual gratification out of going into the female toilets, but did not realise that she was a young girl who was about 11 or 12 years old.” Ian Haq, defending, said: “There was no suggestion in the evidence that he has in any way targeted, or has any inclination towards, young girls. “While he accepts the offence, he has no interest, sexually or otherwise, in young girls. “He has suffered the loss of his current employment, a forfeiture of his plans for a future career.” Mr Haq added that the mobile phone images were deleted by Jones shortly after the incident. Jones, who had earlier been warned he could face jail, received a three-month community order. He was also placed on a three-year community sex offender group work programme, and will also have to comply with a notification order for five years.