Wrexham,North Wales - Former foster parent from Mynydd Isa set up camera to watch young woman changing

Published date: 16 January 2017 | 

Published by: Staff reporter
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A former foster parent set up a camera to watch a young woman changing.

Defendant Michael Whelan, 67, received a suspended sentence when he appeared at Mold Crown Court.

Whelan, of Cwm Close in Mynydd Isa near Mold, was previously cleared of two counts of indecent assault, one count of assault by penetration, and three counts of sexual touching.

But he was convicted of two charges of voyeurism – installing recording equipment to observe a female doing a private act for his own sexual gratification.

Judge David Hale gave him a 12-week prison sentence suspended for two years and placed on rehabilitation.

He must register with the police as a sex offender for seven years.

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The judge said that he had been convicted by the jury of deliberately setting the camera up in a bedroom where he knew the female would be changing. He had switched on the camera before she went in. When the woman found it, the camera was operating and no doubt he had set it so that he could see her undress.

He had admitted at the time that he had a previous photograph of her which he had destroyed. The defendant, he said, would be sentenced on the basis of two isolated occasions.

He and his wife had over many, many years looked after many children on a fostering basis and there had never been any suggestion that he had behaved in any way inappropriately towards any of them.

The judge told defending barrister Kim Halsall that he was disappointed to see in the pre-sentence report that the defendant did not accept the case against him after the jury verdicts “when it is overwhelmingly obvious.”

The discovery of the camera had been the catalyst for him to flee to Moel Famau and others feared he was going to do himself some harm.

Miss Halsall said the allegations dated back some four years and there had been no further offending.

http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/171321/former-foster-parent-from-mynydd-isa-set-up-camera-to-watch-young-woman-changing.aspx