A man who secretly filmed his neighbor for months using a hidden camera placed in a flower vase has been banned from entering any new relationship without notifying social workers.
Groundskeeper Andrew Thomas, 49, stockpiled 40 hours of explicit footage by sneaking in and out of the woman’s home over six months in a Perthshire hamlet. He planted a mobile phone disguised in artificial flowers after befriending his unsuspecting neighbor.
Sheriff Alison McKay placed Thomas on the Sex Offenders Register for five years, ordered 300 hours of unpaid work, and imposed a two-year social work supervision order. Thomas must also abide by a six-month curfew at a Perth homeless unit after losing his job.
“The circumstances of the offence are quite concerning and involve a violation of the complainer’s home and her privacy,” Sheriff McKay said. “I’m not certain whether it’s made better or worse that she was someone you befriended, rather than a stranger.”
Thomas faces 12 conduct restrictions, including a ban on internet use, approaching the victim, and reentering the hamlet near Pitlochry.