Prestatyn man who secretly filmed indecent clips of children jailed for over four years

A 39-year-old man who secretly filmed indecent clips of children has been jailed for over four years.

Gareth Ashton of Victoria Road, Prestatyn, appeared at Caernarfon Crown Court today Friday October 25th after admitting to breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

He was jailed for four years and ten months and was made subject of the sex offenders register indefinitly.

On September 8th 2023, Gareth Ashton followed a number of school girls at Prestatyn train station where he took videos up their skirts without their consent.

The group noticed this and challenged him before chasing him away and reporting it to police.

Ashton was later arrested by police, who then searched his home.

Numerous devices were seized which had not been registered with police as required by an existing SHPO, that he was subject of.
The Digital Forensic Unit who examined the devices discovered 1258 indecent images and videos of young children, including footage he secretly filmed of a naked child on a beach.

Ashton took screenshots of the video to create still images of the naked child.

Searches on his devices also revealed he had searched the internet for terms such as ‘best spy camera’ and ‘how to record someone without them knowing’.

Police Constable Julian Tomlinson of the Protection Vulnerable People Unit said: “Parents and children should feel safe when out in public, and Ashton’s actions will no doubt have a lasting impact on the community.

“I praise the victim for supporting the investigation which has led to his conviction and will prevent him from offending again.

“We will robustly deal with those who offend against children and society’s most vulnerable people.”