Thomas Craig Lewis, 35, of Capel Road, Llanelli, was caught secretly filming his step-daughter on his mobile phone, whilst she was in the bath at home. His victim, Lauren Brightwood, who was 17 at the time, saw Lewis taking a video of her through a glass panel above the bathroom door.
Prosecuting counsel Ben Gow said the victim immediately text her mother Michelle from the bathroom to avoid alerting Lewis. Michelle confronted him, he admitted to having made recordings of the victim and the police were called.
Lewis later admitted to officers he had made between five and 10 video recordings of the victim between the ages of 14 and 17 years old.
Earlier this year at Northampton Magistrates Court, Lewis pleaded guilty to two counts of voyeurism and last week, he was sentenced to ten months, suspended for 18 months.
He will also have to complete 100 hours of community service and will be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for ten years.
Lauren, who bravely waived her right to anonymity, said she now suffers from anxiety and depression as a result of what happened.
In a powerful victim impact statement that was read aloud to the court, Lauren detailed the horror she felt by her step-father.
She said: “I went into a state of shock, I didn’t really know how to process it. This is not something that people normally have to deal with and I didn’t know what to do.”
“I am anxious when entering bathrooms as I don’t want something to happen to me again. I don’t think this is fair.
“Craig is not my biological dad but I treated him like once since age four.”
DC Andrea Taylor, said:
“This case has taken a long time to conclude and I would like to commend the victim for her resolve and courage during this time in seeing it through to the end.
“I hope the fact that Lewis has pleaded guilty to the offences and is now recognised as someone on the Sex Offenders’ Register, offers her some comfort and allows her to move forward with her life.
“Lewis completely violated this girl’s privacy. What he did was absolutely shameful and I hope he reflects on these awful incidents for a long time to come.”
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