Lancaster man's child voyeurism attempt was thwarted by brave youngster

A man secretly rigged up a phone camera to record a schoolgirl getting changed after he asked if she would like to use a hot tub.
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Daniel John Garnett, 34, of Lancaster Road, Slyne, Lancaster, admits attempting to obtain an indecent image of a child and attempted voyeurism following the incident last October.

Recorder Richard Archer, sitting at Burnley Crown Court, said: " You know only too well what you did, you know only too well the seriousness of what you did, you know only too well the revulsion with which what you did will be regarded by the wider public.

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"She has had her world pulled from under her as a result of what you did."

Burnley Crown CourtBurnley Crown Court
Burnley Crown Court

The court heard the child had been alone with the defendant at a property in north Lancashire and asked her if she would like to use the hot tub.

Prosecuting, Jacob Dyer said she agreed and he suggested she put on a T-shirt.

He laid it out for her in a bedroom, but he also started his mobile phone recording and placed it in the room.

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The youngster went into that room and she immediately saw the phone propped up on a cabinet.

It was facing the centre of the room so that she would be filmed if she got changed and she saw a red flashing light.

The worried youngster put a sock over it, got changed and then removed the sock, before using the hot tub.

The failed clip, which was recovered from the phone's recycling bin, showed the defendant coming back into the room a few minutes later and ending the recording.

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Later he suggested the child use the bathroom to have a shower but she was suspicious.

The court heard when the child got home her mother could tell something was wrong and the girl started crying and told her about the phone.

Police arrested Garnett that night and seized the phone.

It was analysed and highlighted a web history seeking out images of illicit material, with search terms including: "voyeur spying on girls".

In a victim impact statement the child's mother said she "seemed to go in on herself", spending lots of time in her room and not wanting to go out or do any activities.

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She said she bought her an alarm to keep on her keys and installed an app on their phones to always trace where her daughter was because she was "paranoid about her safety."

His defence lawyer said Garnett offered his "sincere apologies" and "simply did not know how to handle the situation".

Imposing 10 months, suspended for two years to allow his rehabilitation through a rehabilitation activity requirement, Recorder Archer said: "My job is to balance punishment and rehabilitation in order that the public might be best protected from you and from further offending by you.

"The role of society in this process cannot be underestimated

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" A real concern of the court is to ensure no other girl and family go through what they have gone through because you are tempted for your own sick and twisted sexual gratification to do that again.

"They may wish I lock you up and throw away the key and I don't criticise that way of thinking for a moment."

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