NIGEL PARSONS FROM HIGH WYCOMBE ESCAPES JAIL AFTER SHOCKING CHILD IMAGE CASE AT BESTINVEST IN MAYFAIR

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the financial and local communities, Nigel Parsons, a former investment director at Bestinvest, has narrowly avoided a prison sentence after admitting to a series of serious offences involving voyeurism and the possession of indecent images of children. Parsons, aged 34 and residing in High Wycombe, was subjected to a comprehensive sentencing hearing at Southwark Crown Court, where he received a three-year supervision order and was mandated to complete 120 hours of a sex offenders' rehabilitation program.

The court also imposed a strict three-month curfew on Parsons, requiring him to remain within his home between 8pm and 6am daily. This measure aims to restrict his movements and monitor his activities closely during the probation period.

The criminal charges against Parsons stemmed from a disturbing incident at Bestinvest’s offices located in Mayfair, London. It was revealed that Parsons had clandestinely hidden his iPhone in the showers of the company’s premises to secretly record his colleagues as they undressed. The recordings, which included footage of women in various states of undress, were made in February of that year. The discovery was made when a vigilant employee noticed the phone and uncovered footage of herself naked, leading to Parsons’s identification.

Further investigation uncovered that Parsons had been setting up the device himself, as evidenced by footage of him preparing and positioning the phone. The recordings captured at least two women, and Parsons was found to have made these recordings without their consent. In addition to voyeurism charges, Parsons pleaded guilty to possessing 51 indecent images of children under the age of 10, a revelation that compounded the severity of his offences.

As part of the court’s ruling, Parsons was ordered to pay each of the three women he filmed £750 in compensation, acknowledging the distress and invasion of privacy caused by his actions. His Honour Judge Leonard QC condemned Parsons’s conduct, stating: “The offences to which you have pleaded guilty are serious and, so far as the public is concerned, highly offensive. Using a camera to record work colleagues showering and changing is a despicable act, causing great distress to those concerned. The viewing of images of children under the age of 10 shows depravity on your part, and in viewing them, you are indirectly responsible for the appalling acts inflicted upon those children, resulting in emotional and psychological harm.”

Prior to this conviction, Parsons’s criminal activities came to light in November 2012, when he was found guilty of similar indecency offences. During that case, he admitted to setting up the iPhone in the showers at Bestinvest’s Chesterfield Gardens office in Mayfair to record colleagues. He also confessed to making or possessing 61 indecent photographs and distributing one image depicting children aged between four and ten. Parsons’s actions were uncovered after a colleague spotted the device and discovered recordings of herself and others in vulnerable moments.

He was identified through footage showing him installing and adjusting the phone, which led to his arrest. Parsons pleaded guilty to two counts of voyeurism relating to recordings made between February 17 and 21 of that year. Despite being released on bail, he was warned by Judge Michael Grieve QC that custodial sentences were highly probable given the gravity of his offences.

The prosecution highlighted that Parsons had been downloading images from the internet depicting children within the age range of four to ten years old. Following the allegations, Parsons resigned from Bestinvest in February 2012. The company issued a statement confirming his resignation and cooperation with police investigations, emphasizing their support for affected staff and their commitment to maintaining integrity.

This disturbing case is part of a broader pattern of criminal behaviour involving individuals in positions of trust. It echoes recent incidents, including the tragic death of Neil Riley, a nurse at a prestigious Catholic boarding school in Lancashire, who was found dead after being accused of voyeurism involving hidden cameras. Riley, 54, was under investigation for allegedly setting up covert cameras to spy on female colleagues at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire, where tuition fees can reach up to £28,443 annually. His death followed his arrest and subsequent release on bail, raising questions about the mental toll of such allegations.

Additionally, another case involved Sukhbir Singh, aged 32, who was banned from every McDonald’s in England and Wales after being caught spying on women in the restaurant’s toilets in Birmingham earlier this year. Singh had hidden in the cubicles to observe women, leading to a six-month conditional discharge and a 12-month community order, highlighting the ongoing issues of voyeurism and public safety.