A 37-year-old Moreton in Marsh man has been jailed for six years for committing thirteen sexual offences that included distributing child pornography and secretly filming a girl having sex with her boyfriend.

Last September Gloucestershire Police discovered indecent videos were being uploaded at an address near Tewkesbury where David Smith then lived.

An examination of Smith’s digital devices following his arrest showed he had sent 10 illegal videos of children and one image of a child using the Telegram message service.

On four occasions in 2018 he captured videos of a teenage girl in various states of undress.

In one video, the girl was undressing herself along with two female friends, in which her private parts could be seen.

On February 26, 2020 Smith videoed an underage girl having sex with her boyfriend.

At Gloucester Crown Court on May 5 prosecutor Sam Jones said Smith had set up hidden camera equipment in the hope of capturing 'something interesting.'

“This is the action of a paedophile,” he said.

Emily Heggadon, defending, said Smith was embarrassed by his behaviour and had been seeking professional help since his arrest.

She added: “His behaviour over the past few years is out of context with the rest of his adult life.

“He would benefit from professional support.

“As a child he witnessed an extreme level of domestic violence which has had an effect on him today.

"He has few friends and has effectively put a wall up around himself.”

Smith, of Anson Close, Moreton in Marsh, pleaded guilty to four charges of voyeurism by recording a sexual act for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, knowing that consent had not been obtained; Taking an indecent video of a child lasting over 15 minutes; making an indecent image of a child; distributing 10 category A videos of a child and one category B video along with making and possessing 25 indecent images of a child at category A and 19 videos; 52 category B images and four videos and eight category C images.

The judge, Recorder James Bromige told Smith: “You have a sexual interest in underage girls.

“Voyeurism is an abuse of trust. You purchased an internet camera and installed it at a chosen location. This involved significant planning."

The judge sentenced Smith to a jail term of six years and ordered he remain on the sex offenders’ register for life. He also subjected him to a sexual harm prevention order which limits his use of the internet and his electronic devices were confiscated.