Upskirting Cheshire mechanic had spy cameras in his house

Ryan Beaumont targeted nine children and 10 women in "extreme and distressing" offences, police say

A man who secretly filmed women and children undressing and going to the toilet has been jailed.

Ryan Beaumont admitted 21 offences including voyeurism, upskirting and taking indecent images of children.

Some of his victims, who were nine children and 10 women, were secretly filmed on cameras he had set up in his home.

The 38-year-old, from Hartford in Cheshire, was jailed for three years by a judge at Chester Crown Court.

The court heard Beaumont was first caught in June 2021, when he upskirted a woman for whom he was working as a mobile mechanic.

Upskirting - taking an image or video under somebody's clothing in order to see their genitals or underwear - became a criminal offence in 2019.

The woman contacted police, who then seized all Beaumont's electronic devices.

During police interviews, Beaumont admitted he had hidden cameras in his bathroom and spare room to capture people using the toilet and getting changed.

Detectives said Beaumont told them he "would keep his phone on record at all times and film whenever he saw an opportunity".

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In court, Beaumont admitted seven counts of taking category C images, one count of possessing category C images, one count of possessing category B images, eight counts of voyeurism and four counts of upskirting.

Jailing Beaumont on Friday, Judge Simon Berkson described the offences as an "appalling abuse of trust".

The judge said it was a "long and painstaking investigation" for the police officer involved.

"She had to identify victims and notify them that they themselves or their children have been victims of sexual offences committed by you," he told Beaumont.

Beaumont was also handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offenders register for life.

Det Con Victoria Hazlewood described his behaviour as "extreme and distressing" and praised the "immense bravery" of the victims.