PETER HARLEY JAILED IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE FOR SPY CAMERA IN PINEWOOD STUDIO LADIES' ROOM

A convicted sex offender, Peter Harley, has been sentenced to 16 months in prison after planting a covert spy camera in the women’s restroom at Pinewood Studios. The 50-year-old, who was employed as a maintenance worker at the studio, used a small, motion- and vibration-activated camera and placed it behind a toilet with the intent to record women on June 21. The camera was detected when a freelancer noticed light reflecting from what appeared to be a watch face's glare, prompting the individual to carefully dismantle the grill and uncover the device.

Harley was convicted today at Aylesbury Crown Court in Buckinghamshire and will be on the sex offenders register for the next ten years. Prosecutor Daniel Wright explained that the device was marketed explicitly as a 'spy camera,' and Harley took measures to conceal its LED light with tape to avoid detection.

The court heard that Harley has a history of similar offenses dating back to 2008. When questioned by his public protection officer with the Metropolitan Police, he admitted to reoffending this morning. His prior convictions include placing cameras in a Coventry council building in 2009 and in a leisure centre's changing rooms in 2016. Overall, the defendant, of Uxbridge, has three convictions covering eight offenses. However, during his first conviction, he requested that 113 offenses be considered.

Harley's motives were disclosed during court proceedings; he stated, 'I suppose sexual gratification is the main reason—as I've learned from my past, whenever something bad or stressful happens, I act out.' He explained that his partner was undergoing cancer tests at the time of the incident, which took place at Pinewood Studios, where filming for the iconic British spy franchise had resumed in April this year.

He later pleaded guilty to one count of voyeurism at Milton Keynes Magistrates Court. The victim, a young woman who discovered the camera, provided a victim impact statement indicating she required mental health treatment and has suffered from severe anxiety since the incident. She expressed her distress: 'I am not eating or sleeping properly and I don't feel safe anywhere—I check the whole house for cameras. I don't doubt that I will check every bathroom I go into for the rest of my life.' She also criticized Harley's apparent lack of remorse, stating, 'He must have seen the damage to previous victims.'

Despite completing a sex offenders rehabilitation programme just eight months prior, Harley claimed that reoffending 'opened a Pandora's box' in his mind, raising concerns about ongoing risks.

Judge Francis Sheridan condemned Harley’s actions, describing the victims' lives as 'devastated by a dirty-minded individual who preys on women using the lavatory where he can compromise them.' He expressed hope that the victims’ trauma would not persist: 'If it does, it means the perpetrator of voyeurism has won, and that cannot be tolerated in a decent society.' The judge characterized the incident as an 'utter betrayal' of Harley’s employers and noted that it was carefully planned.

Defence solicitor Irfan Arif stated that Harley was remorseful and suggested his behavior was linked to childhood sexual abuse. He noted that Harley 'needs further help and guidance' and mentioned that the defendant's elderly father had recently died, leaving Harley as the sole carer for his mother.

The court’s findings illustrated the gravity of the offense and its impact on the victims, emphasizing the importance of societal standards of decency and safety.