A Southampton pervert has been caught with nearly 250 images of children after he planted secret cameras to film people going to the toilet.
Doorman Adam Dervan was found with images of a young girl undressed after installing the covert device, a court heard.
The footage was uncovered after the 39-year-old was reported to the police when the device's memory card was found by chance.
Southampton Crown Court heard Dervan had the spy camera for his work as a doorman.
The device and a hard drive were seized by police. They contained images of children and women in “various states of undress”.
These included the photos taken from the camera and images downloaded from social media and online, including from Facebook.
READ MORE: Southampton driver guilty of hitting woman on zebra crossing
Some 249 Category C indecent images of children were found.
Dervan, of Graham Road, Southampton was arrested after the shocking discovery.
Dervan admitted two counts of making indecent images of children relating to the downloading of the pictures, voyeurism and taking indecent images of a child.
The offences were committed between January 1, 2014 and March 16, 2022.
Dervan also admitted a separate charge of possessing cannabis, a class B drug.
Prosecuting, Paul Fairley told the court that the camera placed in the toilet was motion activated “so it would record as and when people come in”.
Sentencing, Judge Nicholas Rowland said the offences required “significant planning”.
He said these were “extremely serious offences” and that “custodial sentences have to be imposed” for crimes such as these.
The judge handed Dervan a three-year jail term.
He was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and notification requirements for life.
A deprivation order was made for the seized items.
Mitigating, Annabel Hazlitt added: “He clearly made some very very wrong moves. [He is] attempting to move forward with his life.
“During his childhood it was perhaps not a happy one. This is a man who is attempting in the very way that he can to deal with what he did.
“He is putting his hands up and saying that is disgraceful.”
She added that he is currently going through the process of being diagnosed with autism and is already serving a community order for another crime.
Dervan has three past convictions for seven offences including breaches of court orders, careless driving and driving without a licence.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article