Colin Hitch

Colin Hitch, a 57-year-old man from Flaunden Lane in Bovingdon, Hertfordshire, was charged with multiple upskirting offences after incidents reported in supermarkets in Baldock and Hemel Hempstead. The allegations came to light when a member of the public grew suspicious of his behaviour and alerted Hertfordshire Constabulary.

Hitch was arrested on Friday, 8 July 2022, on suspicion of voyeurism. Following his arrest, he was formally charged with five offences related to recording or operating equipment beneath clothing without the consent of the victims, who were reportedly unaware of the acts at the time. These incidents involved non-consensual recording, commonly known as upskirting, targeting women and girls in public spaces.

On Saturday, 9 July 2022, Hitch appeared before St Albans Magistrates' Court, where he was remanded in custody pending further proceedings. He was scheduled to make his next appearance at St Albans Crown Court on Monday, 8 August 2022. The case was investigated by Hertfordshire Constabulary, who emphasised their commitment to tackling such crimes.

Detective Inspector Ben Smith of Hertfordshire Constabulary stated: "We are committed to keeping women and girls safe and we take reports of this nature very seriously. We have conducted a thorough investigation following the initial report. This investigation continues and we would encourage anyone who has any information that could assist our enquiries to come forward and speak to us as soon as possible." A spokesperson for the force added that potential victims could contact PC Rebecca Hargrave directly via email at [email protected], or report information online or by calling the non-emergency number 101, quoting crime reference 41/54519/22.

The case highlights ongoing efforts by UK police forces to address voyeurism and non-consensual image offences, which have been criminalised under recent legislation to protect individuals from such invasive acts.