Cleaner jailed for taking photos of men using station toilets

1 October 2019, 20:16

Carl Shipman took nearly 500 photos of men using the toilet
Carl Shipman took nearly 500 photos of men using the toilet. Picture: British Transport Police

By Sylvia DeLuca

A station cleaner who secretly took nearly 500 photos of men using the toilet in Nottingham train station has been sentenced for voyeurism.

Carl Shipman, 39 of Cawston Gardens, Nottingham would hold his mobile phone camera under the male cubicles to take photos and record his victims.

One 15-year old victim was using the station toilets when he noticed Shipman's iPhone on front camera mode being held underneath the cubicle wall recording him.

He kicked the phone away and quickly left the cubicle and he saw Shipman running away from the toilets carrying a bag of rubbish.

A 17-year-old victim tried to take a picture of Shipman when he realised what he was doing. He then reported the incident to station staff.

A cleaning supervisor identified Shipman from the victim’s photos, and confirmed he was employed as a cleaner at the station by Interserve.

Carl Shipman has been jailed for taking photos of men at Nottingham Railway Station
Carl Shipman has been jailed for taking photos of men at Nottingham Railway Station. Picture: PA

Shipman was then arrested by officers at his home address who seized his electronic devices containing photos and videos relating to 140 separate incidents of voyeurism in public toilets.

From these 140 incidents, 474 still images were captured.

Shipman has been sentenced to six months in prison. He was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for ten years and was also handed a ten year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Detective Sergeant Ian Wright from British Transport Police said: “Shipman abused his position as a cleaner at the station to record countless indecent images of people covertly, and it is thanks to the quick thinking victims in this case that we were able to identify him and arrest him.

“It is profoundly clear from the hundreds of images we found on his phones that Shipman had absolutely no regard for his victim’s privacy."