Man filmed estranged wife for three years

A HUSBAND used a video camera hidden in a bedroom to spy on his estranged wife, a court has heard.

The digital device had originally been installed because Stephen Lewis wrongly thought his partner was having an affair, and wanted to catch her in the act.

But then he kept on recording – later admitting to police he had covertly filmed her for three years.

Swansea Crown Court heard although the couple had been living in the same house the marriage had been “effectively over” for some time when the victim found an old digital camera in the kitchen of the property in January this year.

On checking it, she found 29 videos of herself which appeared to have been shot in the bedroom – the videos ranged from a few seconds in length up to 40 minutes.

The court heard many of the clips showed signs of having been edited – though some showed 46-year-old Lewis in the act of installing the camera in a bedside cabinet.

The victim confronted Lewis about his discovery, and he said he was glad she had found the camera, adding she had been “p ***** g me off long enough”.

Lewis, of Ynysygerwn Avenue, Aberdulais, Neath, had previously pleaded guilty to a count of harassment when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. The court heard he has no previous convictions.

Giving Lewis a one-third credit for his guilty plea the judge sentenced him to 14 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months, and ordered him to do 120 hours of unpaid work, and to complete a rehabilitation course. Lewis must also pay £150 towards costs, and was made the subject of a fiveyear restraining order.