A spycam in my loo!
I went for a bath before work, but discovered something far from clean...
Emily Kempster, 19, Warrington
Our front door opened and a familiar voice called out...
‘Only me! Is the kettle on?’ I smiled. Alan Griffiths was our neighbour – his house backed onto ours.
Over the years, Alan had become like a grandad to me and my older brother Alex, then 15.
‘Of course there is,’ I smiled cheerfully, grabbing a mug from the cupboard. ‘You’re always welcome!’
It was 2007, and my mum had met Alan nine years earlier – shortly after we’d all moved in.
Mum did bits of shopping and errands for him. I loved Alan. He was a kind, jolly, elderly man, and I soon began seeing him as a grandad.
He’d drop in for a cuppa and was always doing odd jobs for us. Plumbing, decorating, fixing our bikes.
If he wasn’t pottering around, he’d be watching TV with us, an arm round my back.
When he left, he’d always give me a peck on the cheek.
It seemed harmless – Alan was affectionate.
When I was 13, he offered to buy me a One Direction jumper for my birthday. ‘Yes, please!’ I said, excited. They were my fave band. ‘I need to check your size first,’ Alan said to me. ‘What bra size are you?’ I was so taken aback by his comment that I didn’t reply.
That night, I confided in Mum and she texted Alan immediately.
Messages flew back and forth.
‘He didn’t mean to offend you,’ Mum said to me eventually.
Putting it down to a misunderstanding, we all soon forgot about it.
And Alan stayed as close to our family as ever.
He’d often take me shopping, or out to the garden centre.
‘Where would we be without you?’ I’d grin.
In November 2015, I met a new boyfriend Daniel Slater-mairs, then 17.
Then, in September 2017, I went on holiday with Daniel and his parents Colin and Leanne.
When we got back, Alan called round and gave me a big hug.
‘I haven’t seen you for ages!’ he grinned.
He took me out for coffee, and then he dropped me home. ‘Do you mind if I use your loo?’ he asked. ‘Of course not,’ I smiled. Although he only lived round the corner, I thought nothing of it. The following morning, Alan called round again. He immediately dashed upstairs, saying he needed the loo again. It did seem a bit strange, but I was in a hurry, ironing my clothes for my job in customer services, so I didn’t dwell on it. ‘I’ll call back in an hour and take you to work,’ Alan offered. ‘Thanks very much,’ I said gratefully. Then I went upstairs to have a bath. But in the bathroom, something caught my eye…it was small, and taped to the base of the
Something caught my eye – it had a flashing red light...
wall next to the toilet.
There was a small black circle, hidden behind black masking tape.
What the..? I thought, pulling the object from the wall and examining it. It had a flashing red light. Then it hit me. It was a camera! And I could see my own legs through the lens.
It was recording me.
My heart thumped. Panicking, I looked through the previous footage – and saw Alan.
He’d accidentally filmed his own legs – obviously when he was trying to work out how to use the camera. I felt sick, dizzy. If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I wouldn’t have believed it.
Shaking, I called Dan’s nan at once.
‘Alan has hidden a camera in my bathroom!’ I spluttered, bursting into tears. Then I realised... Alan was due to come back round to the house any minute now, to take me to work – and probably to collect his camera.
‘Don’t let him know that you’re onto him,’ Dan’s nan said to me.
She told me to send Alan a friendly text, telling him that I didn’t need a lift any more.
‘Then lock all the doors,’ she told me.
Hands shaking, I did as she said.
I don’t need a lift, but thanks for the offer,
I texted Alan.
He replied instantly.
I am so sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking.
He’d guessed that I’d found the hidden camera! My heart was pounding. Frantic, I ran around the house locking all the doors, then I waited, hiding behind the curtains in terror.
Hearing a car on the drive, I peered outside. ‘Alan!’ I screamed. He was sitting in his car. I was hysterical. Finally, Colin and Leanne arrived, blocked Alan’s car in the drive and rang the police.
He was arrested, and the police searched his house.
But my whole family were in shock, felt betrayed.
‘How could he?’ Mum cried.
It was hard to believe that the elderly man down the road – who we’d treated like family – had tried to snoop on me in the loo.
Disgusting!
He was released on bail, but we cut off all contact.
This March, Alan Griffiths, 71, appeared before Liverpool Crown Court.
He admitted one count of voyeurism.
But it turned out that, on his computer, the police had also found 30 photos of girls as young as 3 being sexually abused
For that, he pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent photographs of children.
Sickening.
The defence claimed that Alan was sorry, particularly considering our ‘bond’ and his relationship with my family.
He was handed a 15-month suspended sentence, 120 hours unpaid work, and a rehabilitation activity.
He was also given a restraining order and will be registered on the sex offenders list for 10 years.
‘I don’t care how sorry he is,’ I spat furiously.
That man destroyed my trust and shattered my confidence.
Now I feel anxious around older men, have nightmares.
Thankfully, my family and Daniel have got me through.
But I can’t believe I ever thought of Alan as my grandad.
I never want to see that dirty old man again.
My whole family were in shock, felt betrayed