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A former police officer in the United Kingdom has pled guilty to voyeurism charges, admitting that he used secret cameras to film nude models without their consent.
The incident highlights the relative frequency of these types of sexual crimes. Late last month, for example, a church parishioner in California was arrested after hidden cameras were discovered in the women's restroom. In March, meanwhile, a woman found a hidden camera installed in her alarm clock, along with a SIM card containing 140 videos. And in August, a music teacher was sentenced to 50 years in prison after hiding cameras in the bathroom of his children's music school and recording footage of his students, their parents, and other teachers.
In this most recent case, former Detective Inspector Neil Corbel, 40, was charged mid-August. According to the BBC, the former counter-terrorism officer pretended to be a pilot who, on the side, worked as a photographer. Corbel would then orchestrate nude photoshoots in hotel rooms and apartments that had been outfitted with hidden cameras.
The models had agreed to be photographed nude, but they had not consented to be recorded on video. Moreover, they had no idea that the video cameras were even there: Corbel hid his cameras in tissue boxes, phone chargers, an air freshener, and glasses, collecting hours of footage. He was eventually caught, however, when one victim became suspicious after inspecting a digital clock.
"She made a note of the brand name," said Prosecutor Babatunde Alabi, reported the Evening Standard. "At one stage she went to the toilet and checked the name on the Internet."
"What came up was spy cameras," he explained. "As soon as the session ended she went to a police station and made a report about it."
Authorities found footage of 51 different women on a hard drive belonging to Corbel, and of the victims, they identified 19 who were willing to make statements against him. On Monday, Corbel pled guilty to 19 charges of voyeurism, relating to the crimes which took place between January 2017 and February 2020.
Of his victims, only one consented to being recorded on video—however, she specified that she did not want to be filmed nude.
Speaking to the BBC, Alabi noted that the victim who eventually uncovered his crimes was not the only one to have felt suspicious or uncomfortable during these staged "photo shoots."
"At least two of the models actually expressed concerns about devices which they thought were recording," said Alabi. However, Corbel would reassure them that the fears were unfounded.
"What's obvious from watching the videos is that, from time to time, he [manouvers] the models so that open-leg photos and images were obtained," noted Alabi to the Evening Standard.
Corbel used the alias "Harrison" when committing his crimes, added the prosecutor. He has since been suspended from duty and is set to return to court October 4 for sentencing.
