Asere Shumba

Asere Shumba, a 27-year-old man from Shakespeare Street in Sinfin, Derby, has been sentenced to 20 weeks in prison for breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) by entering women's toilets at a McDonald's restaurant. This incident marks another violation in a pattern of behaviour involving voyeurism, for which he was previously convicted.

The breach occurred on 28 December 2022, when Shumba was spotted entering the female toilets at the McDonald's branch on St Peter's Street in Derby city centre. A female staff member recognised him from a circulated photograph and observed him heading upstairs. She later reported that he followed her and engaged in conversation before entering the ladies' facilities just after 6pm. Upon confronting him inside a cubicle, where a woman was also present, the staff member noted his suspicious behaviour. Shumba claimed he believed it was the male toilets, but he was arrested later that evening at his home address by Derbyshire Police.

Shumba's history of sexual offences dates back to 2021. In January 2021, Derby Crown Court convicted him of two counts of voyeurism after he filmed women using female toilets—once at a McDonald's in Surrey and again at the former Walkabout bar in Derby's Market Place. On the first occasion, he locked himself in a cubicle and filmed a victim, fleeing when spotted; the woman described feeling 'violated'. In Derby, he was arrested but slipped his handcuffs and ran, only to be recaptured. Police seized his mobile phone, discovering nearly 400 upskirt-style photographs. As a result, he received a five-year SHPO banning him from entering any women's toilets or changing rooms, along with other requirements.

• June 2021: Convicted of voyeurism for hiding in a toilet and photographing a female in an adjacent cubicle.
• Images found on his phone included voyeuristic content of people in private settings.
• Prior ban extended nationwide following these convictions.

At the recent hearing in Derby Crown Court, Serena Varatharajay, prosecuting, detailed the breach and Shumba's prior convictions. Recorder Graham Huston, sentencing him to 20 weeks' imprisonment, stated: 'You now understand that the breaching of that order leads to custody and you have now been remanded for the last eight weeks. You will then be on a 12-month licence after that and should you be arrested in similar circumstances you can expect to be returned to custody.' Lauren Fisher, mitigating, noted that Shumba pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and had completed all unpaid work, treatment programmes, and probation requirements from his previous sentence.

This case was reported by Derbyshire Live on 23 February 2023, based on court proceedings at Derby Crown Court. Derbyshire Police released Shumba's image to highlight the enforcement of the order and deter similar offences. The incident underscores ongoing efforts to protect public spaces from sexual harm, with Shumba now subject to a 12-month licence period post-release.