Voyeur who bragged about taking naked images of victim jailed
22 June 2025, 18:11 | Updated: 22 June 2025, 18:18
A man who bragged about taking naked images of his victim has been jailed for voyeurism and possessing indecent images of children.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
JonPaul Elessar, 38, took naked photos of the victim without their consent when they visited his South Tyneside home in March last year.
According to local reports, the victim had been stranded in South Shields, when he ended up at his home to wait for a taxi.
Newcastle Crown Court heard after he was given a drink and some drugs the man fell unconscious and has "no recollection of anything else".
Prosecutor Christopher Rose told the court: "While prone on the sofa, naked and unconscious, the defendant took an image of him."
He later bragged to others about what he had done.
After finding out, the victim quickly reported what had happened to police and Elessar of Norfolk Drive, Washington, was arrested.
In a separate earlier investigation, Elessar’s phone was examined – where a number of indecent images of children on the device were discovered.
He was charged in connection with both investigations later the same month.
He attended Newcastle Crown Court earlier this year, where he pleaded guilty to one count of voyeurism and two counts of possessing indecent images of children.
On Monday June 9, he was sentenced to one year and eight months behind bars.
He will also spend 10 years on the Sex Offenders’ Register, will be subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and was handed a lifelong restraining order to protect the victim.
'Depravity'
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Amy Burridge said: “I’d like to thank the victim in this case after Elessar’s offending came to light – meaning the full scale of his depravity was uncovered.
“Elessar took photos of someone in what should have been a totally private space, without their knowledge or consent.
“He showed no respect for the victim – even bragging about what he’d done."
Read more: Man, 53, arrested on suspicion of kidnap and murder of woman missing for over a month
Det Con Burridge continued: “We’re committed to ensuring sexual offenders in our community are identified, arrested, and brought to justice.
“We have trained teams of officers who are experts at pursuing suspects of any form of sexual abuse and ensuring their crimes do not go unpunished.
“They’ll be there for you throughout every stage of the investigation and will offer you whatever support you need.
“We would always encourage anybody who is a victim of crime, or who has any information about this type of offending, to come forward and report it to us so we can act for you.”
