ADRIAN GROCOTT CAUGHT IN HELMSHORE FOR FILMING TEEN GIRLS' BOTTOMS IN TESCO

In July 2019, a disturbing incident unfolded at a Tesco supermarket in Rawtenstall, involving Adrian Grocott, a 55-year-old man from Helmshore. Grocott was observed engaging in inappropriate behavior by filming the bottoms of teenage girls as they moved through the store. The incident drew the attention of store staff, who became suspicious of Grocott’s actions due to his apparent pattern of following young women and his suspicious behavior with his phone.

Grocott’s actions did not go unnoticed for long. Staff members noticed that he was frequently in close proximity to teenage girls, estimated to be around 13 or 14 years old, and that he had his phone out in a manner that raised concerns. Their suspicions grew when they observed him following the girls closely, seemingly capturing images of their lower bodies. The staff decided to act and reported their concerns to the store management.

Further investigation revealed that Grocott had used his Tesco loyalty card during his checkout, which allowed authorities to identify him. Once his details were obtained, police were contacted and swiftly responded to the scene. Grocott was detained, and subsequent searches of his personal devices uncovered a disturbing collection of images. Among these were cropped photographs of the teenage girls’ behinds, which Grocott later admitted to taking and uploading onto a website known as 'visible panty-line.'

During police interviews, Grocott confessed to taking photographs of women’s bottoms when their visible panty-lines could be seen through their clothing. He admitted that two of these images, taken inside the Tesco store, had been uploaded to the website. Grocott also acknowledged viewing other people’s images on the same site, which contained extreme pornographic content depicting extreme bondage involving nude females. These revelations confirmed that his actions were driven by sexual motives.

Grocott faced multiple charges, including outraging public decency by filming the girls on his phone and possessing extreme pornographic images. The court proceedings took place at Blackburn magistrates, where Grocott pleaded guilty to all charges. The magistrates, after hearing the evidence, decided not to send him to prison but instead imposed a community order for 18 months, which included 20 days of rehabilitation. Additionally, Grocott was fined £750, with costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £85. During the hearing, Grocott broke down in tears when the magistrates announced their decision, clearly relieved that he would not face immediate imprisonment.

Prosecutor Andy Robinson explained that after Grocott’s arrest, authorities seized his devices, which confirmed the possession and distribution of extreme images. The case highlighted the disturbing nature of Grocott’s behavior, which involved both the inappropriate filming of minors and the possession of highly explicit material. The incident raised concerns about the safety and privacy of young girls in public spaces and underscored the importance of vigilant store staff and swift police action in addressing such offenses.