Chleo Sunter

Chleo Sunter, a 37-year-old registered sex offender from Thornaby, has been jailed for voyeurism after secretly filming men in public toilets across Teesside. Previously known as John Leslie Graham, Sunter admitted to recording private acts without consent between January and November 2023, capturing 790 photographs and 15 videos of unsuspecting victims. The offences occurred in the men's facilities at an Aldi supermarket in Middlesbrough, the Captain Cook Square shopping centre, and Darlington Train Station.

Sunter's actions involved positioning her phone under toilet cubicles and at urinals to obtain images for her own sexual gratification, knowing the men did not consent. This latest conviction follows a history of sexual offences, including a 2012 sexual assault for which she received a sexual harm prevention order, and a 2014 conviction for possession of extreme pornographic images. She has breached the order multiple times, notably in 2018 when caught using an alias on the dating app Grindr.

The discovery came during a routine compliance check by her sex offender manager at her home in Avon Close, Thornaby, in November 2023. Although Sunter was not present, police located her nearby and examined her phone, uncovering the illicit material. Further investigation revealed she had deleted 695 chats, 712 photos, and four videos from Grindr, used incognito mode to hide her internet history, and reset her device to factory settings, all in violation of her order. Prosecutor Paul Newcombe described the recordings: 'Some of the males were stood at the urinals. Some were recorded under the cubicles.'

At Teesside Crown Court on 19 March 2025, Sunter pleaded guilty to two counts of voyeurism and six breaches of her sexual harm prevention order. Mitigating, her barrister John Nixon highlighted her alcohol abuse history and the challenges of remand, noting prison had been 'exceptionally challenging' and could lead to homelessness upon release. He requested a community order instead. However, Judge Geoffrey Marson imposed a 26-month custodial sentence, acknowledging Sunter's mental health issues and emotional vulnerability but stating they had 'little, or no affect on the offences.' The judge remanded her in custody eight months prior after initial admissions at magistrates' court.

Cleveland Police led the investigation, with the case reported by Teesside Live court reporter Esther Halligan. Sunter, who no longer has access to internet-enabled devices, will serve her sentence amid ongoing monitoring as a registered sex offender.