A FORMER West Midlands Police constable who spent almost two years filming dozens of men without their consent inside Coventry public toilets has been jailed.
Alexander Hindmarsh, from Coventry, used his iPhone to capture 39 different instances of men using cubicles inside public toilets.
The 32-year-old was caught filming while off-duty after one victim noticed a phone hovering above him while using the toilet at the Cannon Park Shopping Centre last November.
Hindmarsh was chased out of the toilets by the victim and police officers were called by security.
A download of Hindmarsh’s mobile phone uncovered 11 images and 28 videos of men who had been filmed or photographed in toilets without their consent.
These took place between December 6, 2020 to November 13, 2022 with frequent locations identified including Tamworth and Hopwood Service Stations.
Last week, Hindmarsh was sentenced to 19 months in prison and put on the sexual offenders register for ten years at Birmingham Crown Court.
He had previously pleaded guilty to one count of observing a person doing a private act and one count of recording a person doing a private act.
Julia Powell, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “These men were oblivious to being filmed while they used public lavatories.
“Alexander Hindmarsh, a former police officer, violated their privacy, his actions were illegal and wholly unacceptable. He had no right to observe these victims carrying out private acts.
“When initially arrested Hindmarsh told officers that he had believed it was his partner in the cubicle beside him on that occasion.
“But during a police interview, Hindmarsh later said that the incident in which he had been caught out had simply been as a result of a ‘misunderstanding’ – having arranged to meet a man from the Grindr app for ‘some fun’.
“The prosecution case was able to unpick his lies, leaving Hindmarsh with little choice but to admit his guilt.
“It is important that those who behave in this way, regardless of who they are, know that they will be prosecuted for breaking the law. I hope that this conviction and sentence provides comfort to the known victims while deterring others from committing such crimes.”
