In court
Pervert tried to film girl in bathroom

A PERVERT who tried to film a 12-year-old girl when she went to the bathroom at his home has been ordered to take part in a sex offender treatment programme.

Daniel Robinson, who at the time lived in Manor Farm Estate, Wolston, had pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to attempting to take an indecent image of a child.

The 37-year-old was given a community sentence with three years supervision and the condition he takes part in a three year sex offender treatment programme.

In addition Judge Amjad Nawaz ordered Robinson, now of Queens Road, Nuneaton, to register as a sex offender for five years and also imposed a ten year sexual offences prevention order.

The order bans Robinson from doing any paid or unpaid work which could bring him into contact with children, having any contact with three named girls, or sleeping in any house where there is a girl under the age of 16.

Prosecutor Glyn Samuel said that in the summer of 2010, children were playing in a paddling pool in the back garden of Robinson’s home when one girl, aged 12, decided to go to the bathroom.

Robinson, who has children of his own, said he needed to go there first - and when he left and the girl went in, she noticed a mobile phone resting in a sellotape roll on a shelf.

She then realised the camera lens of the phone was pointing towards her, so she picked the phone up and saw it was recording and had been running for just over a minute.

Shaking because she realised what Robinson’s intention had been, she turned off the phone and left the bathroom – at which Robinson went straight back in.

The girl ran downstairs and told her mother who challenged Robinson before leaving with her daughter and contacting the police.

But when he was arrested Robinson claimed there was no specific reason why his phone was in the bathroom and claimed it must have been set to record ‘by accident.’

Sentencing Robinson, Judge Nawaz said prison was an option but added he would be out in a short time and no work would be done with him to address his behaviour.

Judge Nawaz said: "The alternative may be seen as too light by the public, but this order is not an easy option and if the probation service do not think you are throwing your weight into the order they can bring you back.

"This community order is intended to protect the public, and the programme is a viable way to deal with you."