Paedophile who took 'sickening' videos of kids and upskirt pictures at family holiday parks jailed

Mark Hansen used his iPhone to secretly film through gaps in curtains while creeping around outside families' windows during hours of darkness at Haven in Berwick, Northumberland. He used the phone to make a recording of a girl's underwear up her skirt at Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire.

Newcastle Crown Court heard a collection of 234 child abuse images he had downloaded from the internet was also found when police examined the phone.

Prosecutor Kevin Wardlaw said officers had raided Hansen's home after a tip-off, seized his iPhone and the downloaded pictures and videos were found, which featured children aged between four and early teens.

Mr Wardlaw said recordings were also found on the handset that had been taken at Haven Holiday park in Berwick and told the court: "While there he used the iPhone to covertly record an unidentified female aged between 12 and 14 while she was undressing.

"The recording was made from outside a window, through a gap in partially closed curtains. It is apparent she had no knowledge she was being observed or filmed. His phone contained another unidentified female in underwear. This film had been taken without her knowledge through a window and the relevant time stamps indicate the time when the defendant was staying at Haven Holiday Park. It is not possible to estimate the age of the child."

The court heard another recording was taken of a child sitting on a bench at Flamingo Land. The victim's underwear was visible during the 2 minute and 18 seconds of film, due the position he held the phone and him moving closer to her.

Mr Wardlaw said other images were found in the phone image gallery, including four that had been taken through an unknown window, of an unidentified girl aged between 13 and 16, without her knowledge, while she was partially undressed.

Hansen, 45, of Denton Avenue, North Shields, North Tyneside, admitted three charges of making indecent images of children, two of taking indecent images of children and three offences of voyeurism.

Judge Gittins jailed him for 18 months and said the images were "sickening". The judge told Hansen: "There were images you took when covertly recording young females, somewhere in the order of 12-14 years of age when you were roaming about Haven Holiday Park in Berwick Upon Tweed and sneaking recordings through gaps in partially closed curtains, taking advantage of the darkness outside."

Matthew Purves, defending, said Hansen has no other convictions, has a good employment record and lost his wife and family due to what he did. Mr Purves said Hansen accepts his behaviour was "inexcusable" and added: "He acknowledges he has a difficulty with what he is attracted to."