Uckfield man jailed for voyeurism offences

Police say John Bartram, 61, retired, of Furnace Way, Uckfield, appeared at Lewes Crown Court on Tuesday (25 April) having previously pleaded guilty to seven counts; three of making indecent images of children, three of voyeurism and one of taking indecent images of children.

He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for ten years, severely restricting his access to children and computers, and will also be a registered sex offender for ten years, police said.

Detective Constable Martin Harmer of the Sussex Police Paedophile On-Line Investigation Team (POLIT), who investigated the case, said: “We went to Bartram’s address and arrested him in November 2015, following intelligence that he was making indecent images of children available on-line.

“The forensic examination found a large number of indecent images and videos of children including over 300 images in the most serious category, all taken from the Internet.

“But the examination also found that he had been covertly taking indecent images and videos of four people known to him, including a teenage girl.

“Mr Bartram refused to acknowledge the harm of his covert recordings and tried to blame the police for hurting those victims by tracing them and disclosing the facts to them, which we have an obvious responsibility to do.

“These were serious offences and those who are minded to engage in this type of activity should be aware that we actively look for them and that there will be legal consequences.”

In sentencing Judge Christine Laing said: “This was a gross abuse of trust, particularly with regards to the vulnerable child. You have failed to understand the breach of trust and blamed the police for disclosing to them.”

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