NIKOLAS HEATH CAUGHT FILMING WOMEN AT GORDANO TANNING SALON IN BRISTOL

In October 2017, a disturbing case of voyeurism came to light involving Nikolas Heath, a 55-year-old man from Moor Lane, Clapton in Gordano, Somerset. Heath was found guilty of secretly recording women in a tanning salon located in Bristol, an act that has shocked the local community and raised serious concerns about privacy and safety in public beauty establishments.

Heath’s criminal behavior was uncovered when one of the women using the sunbeds at the Bristol-based beauty parlour noticed him in an adjacent booth, covertly filming her with his mobile phone. The woman’s vigilance led to Heath’s immediate identification and subsequent arrest. During the incident, Heath emerged from the booth and offered an apology, along with a donation to a charity of her choice, attempting to mitigate the situation. He also handed over his phone to the woman, claiming he would delete the images, but the damage was already done.

Further investigation revealed that Heath had previously admitted to six charges of voyeurism. Police discovered videos stored on his computer, which depicted five other women in similar circumstances, filmed between May and December 2015. These recordings showed Heath observing and filming the women while they believed they were alone and unobserved, indicating a significant level of premeditation and planning in his actions.

At Bristol Crown Court, Judge James Patrick sentenced Heath to eight months in prison for his crimes. The judge also imposed a decade-long ban preventing Heath from entering any beauty or tanning salons, aiming to protect potential future victims from similar invasions of privacy. During the sentencing, the judge emphasized that the victims had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the salon, and Heath’s actions were a clear violation of that trust. The court described his conduct as involving a “lengthy period” of observation and filming, which was driven by “very squalid sexual gratification.”

In addition to the prison sentence, Heath’s iPhone and Apple computer were ordered to be destroyed, removing any remaining evidence of his misconduct. Recognizing his prior criminal record, which includes a conviction for possessing indecent images of children, the court also mandated that Heath be registered as a sex offender for ten years, underscoring the severity of his violations and the ongoing risk he poses to the community.