Supermarket sex pest who upskirted shoppers was caught out by his Tesco Clubcard
A pervert with a ‘leg fetish’ who filmed up women’s skirts in Tesco was caught out by his Clubcard, a court heard.
Ian Betts was spotted bending over in the aisles next to a 16-yer-old girl before his phone ‘lit up’ to take an upskirt snap in Mold, North Wales.
The 61-year-old was ‘swiftly grabbed by the scruff of his jacket’ before the girl and her dad were alerted, jurors at the town’s crown court heard.
The dad demanded to see what was on his phone and Betts was marched to the customer service desk where he was arrested.
Police found two hard drives that contained more than 2,900 indecent images and videos. They were able to match the dates they were taken with data on his Tesco Clubcard to prove he was in the store at the corresponding times.
More women and girls had been targeted by Betts at the same store including four adult women and three further schoolgirls – with the youngest being 11.
He blamed the lewd behaviour on ‘obsessive compulsive disorder’ and a ‘leg fetish’ when quizzed by officers.
The court heard from the 16-year-old who said she felt paranoid going out in public and only felt safe when her family formed a ‘protective bubble’ around her.
A mum of another victim said she felt torn about telling her daughter about what Betts had done to her in order to preserve her childhood innocence.
A Tesco staff member said the supermarket is meant to be a ‘safe place’ and management ‘felt sick’ about the incident.
Betts, of Carmel, Flintshire, pleaded guilty to recording under clothing, making indecent images, taking indecent images, possessing prohibited images and attempted upskirting.
Judge Rhys Rowlands described up-skirting crimes as ‘particularly discomforting’.
Betts was jailed for two years and nine months and given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order that banned him from entering the town centre store.
Investigating officers DC James Moult and PCSI Erin Shawcross added: ‘Ian Betts is a dangerous offender who preyed on women and girls whilst they went about their day-to-day activities, unaware that they were being targeted and filmed for nothing other than his own sexual gratification.
‘We would like to praise the victims and their families for supporting this investigation throughout, and for the courage they have shown in providing their accounts under such difficult circumstances.’
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