A sex offender has been handed a community order after he took photos of unsuspecting women at a sunbed shop.

Leslie Greenough, of Maes Y Dre Avenue in Flint, appeared at Mold Magistrates Court for sentence on Thursday.

The 49-year-old had admitted seven counts of voyeurism, which took place at a Flintshire sunbed shop over the course of 21 months, at a previous hearing.

Julia Galston, prosecuting, told the court that in 2021, a customer at the shop noticed a rose-gold phone over the top of the partition to her cubicle.

She screamed and the phone disappeared, the court heard, following which she got dressed and notified staff.

The matter was then reported to the police, and following enquiries officers learned that Greenough had been in the adjacent cubicle to the woman.

In a victim impact statement, she said: "The incident made me feel very uncomfortable - my privacy has been exposed.

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"I was naked when this person was trying to take pictures of me and it has caused a great deal of stress."

When the defendant was arrested, officers seized a phone and two tablets.

He claimed the incident hadn't happened and that there would be "no such footage" on his devices.

But following forensic examination, it was discovered that there were images of seven females at the sunbed store.

Greenough denied having taken them, claiming they might have been from OnlyFans, which he said he used.

But officers were satisfied that based on the features in the photos, they had indeed been taken at the sunbed shop in question.

"He's demonstrated an interest in recording women doing private acts for his own sexual gratification," Ms Galston said.

She added these were not the defendant's first sex offences - with him having three previous convictions for indecent exposure from 2002 and 2013.

Despite his initial denial, duty solicitor Gary Harvey - defending Greenough - said his client does accept the prosecution case in full.

He explained: "He's working as a HGV driver and he does have some health problems, including PTSD and depression.

"But there are no issues with alcohol and drugs."

Mr Harvey conceded there "must have been an element of planning" in the offences but that Greenough had "the prospect of rehabilitation" and was willing to cooperate with the probation service.

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Roland Keating, chair of the magistrates, said: "These are serious offences; not least because they violate the private space of another person.

"In recording that private space with them in it, you're placing them under a burden which they have not consented to."

He explained that whilst the offences had been serious enough to justify a prison sentence, the bench had opted to impose a 12 month community order with 35 sessions on an accredited programme and 200 hours of unpaid work.

He must pay £85 costs and a £114 victim surcharge, as well as £100 to the victim who brought the offending to the attention of the police.

A sexual harm prevention order was put in place for five years to regulate his use of devices and access to premises used to facilitate private acts, such as changing clothes.

He must register as a sex offender for the same period of time.