A PERVERT covertly took pictures of a woman in a pub toilet cubicle, a court heard.

Bolton Crown Court was told how 44-year-old dad Justin Pritchard held a camera phone over the wall of the cubicle at the Bay Horse Hotel in Unsworth, Bury and took snaps of a woman.

When arrested Pritchard, of Woodford Gardens, Didsbury, admitted he had taken the pictures then deleted them but denied any sexual motive.

However, following a three-day trial last month, a jury did not accept his argument and convicted him of voyeurism.

At his sentencing hearing Gordon Hennell, prosecuting, told how a woman had gone to the ladies’ toilet at the pub on January 23 last year and sat down in a cubicle.

“She looked up to see a mobile phone being held over the wall of her cubicle,” he said.

She reported the incident to staff, who knocked on the door of another cubicle and confronted Pritchard, who left the pub.

Drinkers who had been with Pritchard gave staff his name and mobile phone number and police were contacted. The following month, when interviewed by police, Pritchard said he had gone to the toilets to take cocaine and admitted using his phone to take three or four photographs.

“He said he was appalled by what he had done,” said Mr Hennell.

In a statement, his female victim told the court that she used to be an outgoing person but now does not feel confident in public.

Michael Maher, defending, said Pritchard, who has no previous convictions was a respectable, father-of-two, and now faces the possibility of losing his job and his marriage. It was a few minutes of madness that have had a catastrophic effect on his life,” said Mr Maher. His wife has been supportive but that support has its limitations. On the night in question he did something that he was unable to give an explanation for.”

Mr Maher added that Pritchard has described his own actions as “degrading and dehumanising”.

“It was utterly abhorrent to him and utterly out of character,” he said. Mr Maher appealed to Recorder Rowena Goode to spare Pritchard the “ignominy” of a sentence with would require him to sign the sex offenders’ register.

Pritchard nodded his head in the dock as Recorder Goode agreed with the suggestion that he is unlikely to appear in court again and that he does not need to sign the sex offenders’ register.

He was sentenced to a community order for six months with 20 days of rehabilitation activities.

Pritchard must also pay £1,000 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.