TIMOTHY YARNOLD SENTENCED IN WEYMOUTH FOR INVASIVE SURVEILLANCE CASES
In July 2014, Timothy Yarnold, aged 22, received a suspended prison sentence after secretly filming a teenage girl in the shower at her Weymouth home in December 2012.Yarnold concealed an iPhone inside a hollowed-out toothpaste box with a small hole, intending to covertly capture footage of his 16-year-old victim.
The victim discovered the device, which was flashing a red light and displayed a numeral five, and alerted authorities.
Police examined Yarnold’s computer and found additional indecent images of her from different occasions.
Judge Peter Johnson commented during sentencing at Bournemouth Crown Court, stating: “She was terrified at what was recorded, and at what you might have done with the videos.
You remain completely unconcerned about her feelings.” He also pointed out that Yarnold, who had previously created bizarre videos of himself in his car in public places, had suggested that women he recorded shouldn’t complain because they were often captured on CCTV.
Yarnold, of Grantley Gardens, Plymouth, had pleaded not guilty to two counts of voyeurism and two of possessing indecent images, claiming the images on his computer were planted to incriminate him.
Despite this, he was convicted following a trial.
Throughout the trial, Yarnold caused further oddity by arriving each day wearing a white mask, which security guards eventually ordered him to remove before entering the court.
He was also observed carrying a sign that read ‘Never question authority.’ In mitigation, Neil Hinton argued that although the offences were embarrassing and uncomfortable for the victim, they did not amount to “serious sexual harm.” The judge sentenced Yarnold to six months in prison, suspended for two years, mandated him to register as a sex offender for seven years, and issued a Sexual Offences Prevention Order preventing him from accessing unisex changing facilities.
In an earlier June 2014 court appearance, Yarnold again drew attention by arriving at Bournemouth Crown Court with a white mask and a placard saying ‘Never question authority,’ before being ordered to remove the mask by security.
The trial detailed that Yarnold placed his iPhone inside a box with a small hole to spy on the girl, though he admitted to restoring the device to factory settings before police arrived, erasing all data.
The court learned that Yarnold had searched the internet for terms like ‘I hid a camera in a girl’s bedroom’ and ‘hidden camera in box in shower,’ and investigated other voyeuristic activities, including sexually explicit “prank” videos and images of women’s bottoms taken in retail stores.
Yarnold claimed such photographs were permissible because CCTV footage in stores made such actions lawful.
Following the conviction, Yarnold was set to return to court on July 28 for sentencing on the charges and was released on conditional bail.
