Shoe spy camera man filmed up women’s skirts
APUBLIC schooleducated businessman used a spy camera hidden inside his shoe to secretly film up the skirts of women shopping.
Stafford Cant, 47, of Macclesfield, adapted one of his trainers to have a lens hidden under the laces - then roamed around boutiques and supermarkets in Alderley Edge to obtain illicit ‘upskirt’ images of unsuspecting victims.
The management consultant, who has a Masters degree in philosophy, also had his wrist watch and car key fob fitted with spy cameras so he could film the back of women’s legs.
Cant’s squalid double life was unmasked after police, acting on a tip off, raided his former home in Alderley Edge, on January 31 last year, and found 222,000 videos and pictures, including 20 films dating back seven years showing footage of women being targeted in various supermarkets.
One video, from 2011, showed Cant covertly filming a woman’s legs under a desk.
Other films seized included horrific images he downloaded from the internet of children being abused and women being suffocated and strangled.
He later claimed he had a ‘compulsion to collect things’.
Shocking details of the raid emerged at Chester Crown Court, where Cant, now of Fountain Street, Macclesfield, was jailed for three years after he admitted outraging public decency, voyeurism and possessing and distributing indecent images.
Prosecuting, Anna Price said: “There also were a number of covert recording devices, camera shoes, car key fobs with hidden cameras and a camera watch.
“Shoes modified to carry a camera with no other function other than to record up skirts. Twenty videos were from supermarkets and there were key fobs and a camera watch to film the back of women’s and young girls legs.
“He was moving the camera up and down to catch the area he wanted to film. He even covertly filmed under a desk filming a colleagues legs.”
Inquiries revealed Cant had downloaded voyeurism videos, ‘up-skirt’-type videos and movies showing extreme bondage. One showed the rape and torture of a small baby.
Cant later admitted he was responsible for downloading all the pictures and confessed none of the women in his secret videos consented to being filmed.
Michael Johnson, defending, said his client had depression and had referred himself for cognitive behavioural therapy.
Mr Johnson added: “This man had demonstrated a determination to address his behaviour and what are perceived to be the underlying causes of that.
“For many years he led a reclusive lifestyle and has been blighted by depression and anxiety, but this type of behaviour accessing and collecting pornography has been used as a distraction.
“There’s a serious underlying problem, but he has demonstrated a want to address it and taken significant steps.
“He has been utterly disgraced and lost his good character. This is a man who had led an unblemished life.”
Sentencing, Judge Simon Berkson told Cant: “People and children have suffered at the hands of others to a great extent there would be no suffer- ing if there was no demand. You fuelled that demand when you were involved in the distribution.
“You filmed people in supermarkets up the skirts of people simply out shopping or in their workplace where you worked.
“You set up a camera to film your partner undress. This is clearly very serious and you should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself.
“Others who have written letters speak highly of you. You have a good degree, a good Masters and other qualifications you are clearly a very intelligent man.
“You have sought help since your arrest but this offending took place over a substantial period of time.”
Cant was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and was ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register.