Upskirting lawyer sentenced for London Underground photos

A former government lawyer who took photos up a woman's skirt on the London Underground has been sentenced.

A policeman spotted Daren Timson-Hunt, 54, with his phone "in between his legs" near a passenger wearing a "summery" dress, a court heard.

When confronted at Embankment station, the father-of-one admitted what he had done.

Timson-Hunt, who was handed a 24-month community order, is the fourth man to be sentenced under a new law.

Prosecutor Katie Bryan told Westminster Magistrates' Court the victim had been making her way to a job interview via the Circle and District Line on 1 July.

She said Insp Pete Scottow, who was in the Tube carriage at the time, saw Timson-Hunt near the woman with his phone in between his legs.

He suspected he was taking photos when he saw him press a side button "four to five times", the court heard.

When all three disembarked at Embankment station, the court heard, Insp Scottow followed and saw the defendant standing close to the woman on the stairs.

He then approached her and said "I think this man has been taking pictures of you".

When confronted, a "shocked" Timson-Hunt apologised, saying he had "never done anything like this before", the court was told.

Two videos were found on his phone.

One, captured on the Tube, showed the woman's "underwear and naked buttocks from underneath the dress", Ms Bryan said.

In a statement read in court, the woman said she "felt incredibly violated" by the experience.

Her fear of being targeted again meant she had not worn any dress or skirt since, the court heard.

Mitigating, Nicholas Ornstin said Timson-Hunt's life had been "completely destroyed", as he would now struggle to find employment and his marriage was "on the rocks".

Chair of the bench Anne Boda, sentencing, said the "extremely unpleasant" offence would have a "long-lasting effect" on the victim.

The terms of Timson-Hunt's community order include 30 days of rehabilitation activity and 60 hours of unpaid work.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for five years and must also pay £175 in court costs and victim surcharge.

The defendant, of Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, had admitted a charge of operating equipment beneath the clothing of another without consent at an earlier hearing.