Former police constable jailed for 19 months after illegally filming men in public toilets

A former West Midlands police constable has been jailed for filming dozens of men without their consent inside public toilets in Coventry.

Alexander Hindmarsh, 32, used his iPhone to capture 39 incidents involving a number of men who were using cubicles inside public toilets.

Off-duty Hindmarsh was caught out after one victim noticed a phone hovering above him while using the toilet at the Cannon Park Shopping Centre in November last year. The victim came out of the cubicle and chased Hindmarsh out of the toilets before police officers were called by security.

A download of Hindmarsh’s mobile phone uncovered 11 images and 28 videos of men who had been filmed or photographed in toilets without their consent. Frequent locations identified included Tamworth Service Station and Hopwood Service station.

The offending went on for nearly two years from 6 December 2020 to 13 November 2022.

Today (Wednesday, 23 August 2023) at Birmingham Crown Court, Hindmarsh was sentenced to 19 months imprisonment and put on the sexual offenders register for 10 years.

He had previously pleaded guilty to one count of observing a person doing a private act and one count of recording a person doing a private act. 

Julia Powell, from the CPS, said: “These men were oblivious to being filmed while they used public lavatories. Alexander Hindmarsh, a former police officer, violated their privacy. His actions were illegal and wholly unacceptable. He had no right to observe these victims carrying out private acts.

“When initially arrested Hindmarsh told officers that he had believed it was his partner in the cubicle beside him on that occasion. But during police interview Hindmarsh later said that the incident in which he had been caught out had simply been as a result of a ‘misunderstanding’ – having arranged to meet a man from the Grindr app for ‘some fun’.

"The prosecution case was able to unpick his lies, leaving Hindmarsh with little choice but to admit his guilt.

“It is important that those who behave in this way, regardless of who they are, know that they will be prosecuted for breaking the law. I hope that this conviction and sentence provides comfort to the known victims while deterring others from committing such crimes.”