A COMPANY director has admitted filming a teenager while she used a supermarket’s public toilets.
Christopher Peter Flockhart, 51, used a mobile phone to film an 18-year-old under the cubicle partition of the women’s toilets at Morrisons in Bridport and fled the store.
Weymouth magistrates heard that Flockhart’s young victim was left distressed by the incident, which took place at 7pm on May 6 last year.
Prosecutor Julian Lawrence said Flockhart locked himself in a cubicle of the women’s toilets in Morrisons.
He said: “The victim entered the supermarket with her mother and went into the ladies’ toilets to use the facilities.
“She found one cubicle was being used next door. The defendant left the toilets and passed the victim’s mother who was outside.
“The victim came outside and was very distressed and said to her mother ‘that man tried to take a photo of me’.”
Mr Lawrence said the victim reported the incident to staff who followed Flockhart to the car park.
He said Flockhart, who runs Equilogic Ltd from home, then drove to Exeter and handed himself in at a police station, where officers seized his mobile phone and found a 10-second video of the victim using the toilet.
Flockhart, of Chumleigh Road, Winkleigh, Devon, pleaded guilty to a voyeurism charge of recording another person doing a private act with the intention of gaining sexual gratification.
He also admitted a traffic offence of failing to comply with a red light.
Mr Lawrence told the court that after the incident Flockhart drove through a red light to exit the store.
Mitigating, Max Owen said Flockhart had ‘a moment of madness’.
He added that in 2009 Flockhart was on anti-depressants and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety.
He said: “This is a man in a reasonable job and a man of statutory good character.
“He went into Morrisons and had problems with his digestion and needed to get to the lavatory as soon as possible.
“The men’s toilets were occupied so he went to the women’s toilets.
“This was a moment of madness brought about by the considerable stress he was going through at the time.”
Chairman of the bench William Gibbons adjourned proceedings for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.
Flockhart will return to Weymouth Magistrates Court for sentencing on July 22. He was released on unconditional bail.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here