Electrician who filmed women in their homes jailed for voyeurism

An electrician who hid cameras in customer’s homes and secretly filmed women in their bedrooms and bathrooms has been jailed for more than two years.
James Denholm, 34, admitted a string of offences over ten years, including voyeurism and stalking, at Aberdeen sheriff court in July.
He filmed women using the toilet, showering or changing, as well as some having sex. The full extent of his crimes was only uncovered when a woman found a device hidden under her bed and notified the police.
A search was carried out at Denholm’s Aberdeen home where officers discovered various hard drives, SD cards, mobile phones, laptops and cameras containing evidence of his offending. A number of the electrician’s former partners were filmed in intimate situations without their consent.
One victim, who was secretly filmed having sex, told BBC Scotland News that his actions were “disgusting”.
Denholm admitted 16 offences involving 17 people at various addresses, many of which were under the Sexual Offences Scotland Act, between 2013 and last year.
Two of the charges were said to have been committed in the course of his work as an electrician, while in other examples he photographed and videoed from outside his victims’ homes. Denholm also filmed himself having sex with women without their knowledge.
His crimes against one individual spanned five years, which included taking a sex doll and lingerie into her home, dressing it in items of her clothing, and taking photos of it.
He also admitted possessing indecent images and videos of children between 2007 and 2012, the Crown Office said.
Sheriff Graham Buchanan said on Monday that custody was the only appropriate disposal. He jailed Denholm for two years and eight months and placed him under supervision for a further two years and six months. Denholm’s name was added to the sex offenders register indefinitely.
Buchanan said Denholm had committed serious offences over a lengthy period and it was clear that many of the victims had suffered psychological harm.
Kirsty Martin, for the prosecution, told the court that a woman found a recording device under her bed last year. After a search warrant was granted more material began to emerge.
David Moggach, in mitigation, said that his client had had autistic spectrum disorder diagnosed and was starting to appreciate his offences had been a serious breach of trust. Moggach added that Denholm had assured him the material had not been shared with anyone else.
“He does find it difficult to articulate his reasoning,” he told the court.
One victim, who is now 28, found out she had been targeted by Denholm six years ago only after police called her last year to say explicit photos of her had been found. She told the BBC the realisation that someone had been filming her and her then partner was “horrible” and “gross” and she has suffered from panic attacks since.
“All the police told me at the time was that there was indecent images and footage of me and my partner, taken without our knowledge,” she said. “And then further down the line, we got a bit more information that it was of a sexual nature. It was mortifying.”
Another victim, 24, who was filmed in her first-floor bedroom from outside, said she eventually felt she had to move out of her flat after discovering she had been recorded getting changed. “It felt a total violation of my privacy. I think it’s disgusting, I think it’s appalling. Who thinks it’s OK to invade other people’s privacy on that scale? It’s sick,” she said.
Alison McKenzie, procurator fiscal for Grampian, Highlands and Islands, said: “James Denholm exploited a position of trust to gain access to his victims during this alarming pattern of behaviour.
“He filmed several individuals during private moments in places where they should have felt safe, such as their own homes and in public bathrooms. His depraved behaviour has had lasting consequences on a number of those targeted during this sickening campaign, which also involved a number of former partners.
“I hope this conviction serves as a warning to others that we take crimes of this nature extremely seriously and will use all the tools available to us to seek justice.”