A 67-year-old retired carpenter from Bearsted, Kent, named Anthony Wickham, engaged in voyeuristic activities by attaching a mobile phone to his right foot with the camera facing upwards to secretly record images beneath women's clothing without their consent.
The primary incident occurred on Saturday, 10 June 2023, at around 1pm in the Aldi store on Edmett Way, Langley Park, Maidstone. Wickham positioned himself close to an unsuspecting female shopper and her son, manoeuvring his foot to capture footage under her skirt. The woman noticed the unusual setup, confronted him, and demanded to see the phone, but Wickham refused and fled the store. CCTV footage from Aldi later revealed him wandering the aisles, making deliberate movements with his right foot to place it beneath multiple women's skirts.
- Police analysis of seized devices uncovered two videos, one 10 minutes and another 20 minutes long, showing Wickham attaching the phone to his shoe and recording while pausing near females in stores, including a shopping centre and clothing department.
- 140 images depicted a woman using a toilet with visible private areas, though no evidence linked Wickham to recording this footage himself.
- Three deleted sexually explicit photographs of children aged seven to 14, showing partially naked youngsters in sexual acts with each other and adults, were recovered.
- Internet search history included terms like 'upskirt in supermarket', 'public nudity', and 'no panties', along with links to spy camera websites.
Following the confrontation, Kent Police issued a media appeal with CCTV images, leading two former customers of Wickham's business, TW Home Improvements, to identify him and provide his details. He was arrested in July 2023. Although his primary phone yielded no evidence, forensic examination of other devices from his home confirmed the voyeurism and possession of indecent images.
At Maidstone Crown Court on Thursday, 16 April 2026, Wickham pleaded guilty to recording an image beneath clothing to observe another without consent, installing equipment to observe a private act for sexual gratification, and possessing indecent images of children. Prosecutor Dominic Connolly read the victim's impact statement, in which she described feeling 'completely violated, exposed and humiliated', with lasting anxiety affecting her shopping routine and her son's emotional well-being: 'What happened to me was not just a momentary intrusion but something that continues to affect my confidence, sense of safety and my ability to feel comfortable in ordinary situations.'
Judge Gareth Branston described the crimes as 'disgusting and violating', noting significant planning and multiple targets, but acknowledged Wickham's remorse, lack of prior convictions, and rehabilitation prospects. Defence counsel Emin Kandola highlighted his client's separation from his wife after 43 years of marriage, his move to care for his mother, and voluntary therapy. The judge suspended a six-month custodial sentence for 18 months, requiring 26 days on a probation programme, up to 30 rehabilitation sessions, a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, sex offender registration for 10 years, and £150 in costs.
Wickham, appearing embarrassed in the dock, was told he should feel ashamed for humiliating himself and violating multiple women. The court heard he attributed his actions to feeling 'unhappy, isolated, lonely and sexually frustrated' during his marriage, with no evidence he recorded the toilet footage or abused the children in the images.