Man jailed for upskirting schoolgirls on streets

A man who followed schoolgirls before taking pictures up their skirts has been jailed for two and a half years.

Tiyumtamba Harruna followed the girls in the Nottingham area before taking intimate images.

The 32-year-old father-of-two, of Campbell Close in Nottingham, admitted seven offences, including two counts of attempting to take an indecent photograph of a child.

At a sentencing hearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday, he was also handed a sexual harm prevention order and told he must sign the sex offenders register for life.

The court heard Harruna had looked out for girls while driving his car, then followed them while they were walking down alleyways in the Nottingham area.

In one case, a victim said she felt breath on her neck before turning around and finding him crouched on the ground, while another said she felt something touch her leg under her skirt.

One girl was followed back to her home, with her parents witnessing Harruna taking a photo, and in another case, a woman witnessed the defendant taking an image of a girl without her knowledge.

Two of the offences - which occurred over two years from 2022 - were captured on CCTV.

Rebecca Coleman, prosecuting, said the impact on the victims had been significant, with one saying she does not "feel comfortable walking home from school any more".

"It's clearly had significant impacts on each and every one of them," she said.

"He deliberately sought out schoolchildren for the purpose of his offending."

Defending Harruna, Chris Brewin said the defendant had apologised for his offending, adding that he had been struggling with the breakdown of a relationship at the time and had been drinking too much.

"He knows that his drinking got completely out of control, [and] he knows that he should have done something about it," he said.

Sentencing, Judge Michael Auty KC said the defendant "effectively stalked young girls around the streets of Nottingham", adding the victims were "doing absolutely nothing above and beyond going about their daily lives" when they were targeted.

"They did not deserve to find their lives so adversely affected by your behaviour," he said.

"You have no idea how fragile any of these young girls can be."

Judge Auty said Harruna's offending was carried out for his own "sexual gratification", adding the offences were "far too serious" for a suspended sentence.

"For a period of almost exactly two years, you were a thorough nuisance on the streets," he said.

"The problem with this sort of behaviour is that the misery and upset that it engenders is real, and it can last a very long time indeed."

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