Andrew Andy

A 55-year-old man from Warrington, known as Andrew Andy (also Andrew Smoggie and Andrew Mackie), has been imprisoned again for sexual offences involving the photography of women in public spaces. This latest conviction stems from incidents in Leigh, where he violated an indefinite sexual harm prevention order imposed in October 2021.

The court at Bolton Crown Court heard that on 13 May 2024, Andy used his mobile phone to capture images of a woman unknown to him in a public place in Leigh, directly breaching the order's prohibition on photographing strangers. When stopped by police, he failed to provide access to the device, which was capable of storing such images. On the same day, he committed a sexual assault by touching another woman in a sexual manner without her consent.

Andy was sentenced to two years and six months in prison, to be served immediately. He must also register as a sex offender for seven years, and his indefinite sexual harm prevention order remains in effect. The court further ordered the deprivation of his mobile phone to prevent future offences.

This is not Andy's first brush with the law on similar matters. In January 2023, Manchester Crown Court jailed him for two years and four months after he was caught taking over 1,700 photos of women's bottoms in city centres, including during Manchester Pride weekend. Plain-clothed officers observed him targeting women aged 13 to 70, though the images were not classified as indecent. Previously, in October 2021, he received leniency after being caught at Manchester Piccadilly train station photographing a stranger's bare legs and up her skirt, leading to the initial sexual harm prevention order.

The case was prosecuted at Bolton Crown Court, with evidence presented highlighting Andy's repeated disregard for court orders designed to protect the public from his voyeuristic behaviour. Sources from the Leigh Journal report that the offences occurred in Leigh, part of Greater Manchester, underscoring a pattern of predatory actions against women in public.