AIDAN THOMPSON'S SHOCKING CRIMES IN HYDE AND MANCHESTER ARNDALE CENTRE
In a deeply troubling case that has shaken public confidence, police officer Aidan Thompson, from Hyde, has been convicted of multiple voyeuristic offences carried out while on duty.His actions, which included filming women and a teenage girl in public without their consent, have raised serious concerns about abuse of power within the police force.
The offences came to light following an incident on 6 October last year, when a security guard at Manchester’s Arndale Centre observed Thompson behaving suspiciously.
The off-duty officer was seen following a teenage girl through the busy shopping centre, carrying a bag with a hole in one corner.
He repeatedly swung the bag near the girl’s legs while stopping periodically to inspect a concealed camera inside.
Prosecutor Francis McEntee, speaking at Preston Crown Court, described Thompson’s actions: “He maintains a following distance, stalking his prey around the store, stopping from time to time, swinging the bag in an upward motion.” Following his arrest, a search of Thompson’s home in Hyde where he lived with his wife uncovered further evidence of his covert filming activities.
Officers discovered memory sticks containing recordings of four additional women.
It emerged that Thompson, then employed by Greater Manchester Police (GMP), had filmed one woman while attending her flat to investigate a report of sexual assault.
Instead of focusing on the investigation, he took the opportunity to film up her flatmate’s skirt.
Additional footage revealed victims being secretly recorded while undressing in changing rooms, as well as one woman being filmed from behind while wearing tight-fitting trousers.
All of these recordings were taken without the women's knowledge or consent.
One particularly disturbing scene showed Thompson dropping objects into the crotch area of a woman’s lycra leotard in what appeared to be a staged locker room setting.
Further evidence indicated he had repeatedly indulged these behaviours while on duty.
In one case, while sent to secure the scene of an alleged assault, he filmed a woman’s flatmate’s miniskirt.
He later gave her a lift into town, again without disclosing his actions.
The impact on his victims was significant.
One woman remarked: “If you can’t trust a police officer, who can you trust?” The breach of trust has been widely condemned and has further damaged public faith in law enforcement.
Judge Mark Brown QC sentenced Thompson to 14 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office and outraging public decency.
In his remarks, the judge said: “You have not only let yourself down, you have let the force down.
In my judgment, your actions amounted to an enormous abuse not only of trust but of your authority as a police officer.
Hardly surprising that this conduct should undermine public confidence in police officers.” Thompson has been suspended from duty and faces dismissal from GMP.
The revelation of his offences has reportedly left his family, colleagues, and the local Hyde community “staggered,” given his previously unblemished image.
In mitigation, Bernadette Baxter, representing Thompson, told the court he was suffering from psychiatric issues and expressed that he was wracked with “shame and ignominy” as a result of his actions, adding that he is now facing the end of his policing career.
