Sex offender, 52, with 'upskirting' conviction jailed for photographing ... trends now
A serial sex offender with an 'upskirting' conviction has been jailed for two years after photographing hundreds of women's bottoms at Manchester Pride.
Officers spotted Andrew Smoggie, 52, taking pictures of unknowing women at the LGBT festival last year.
They discovered he was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which barred him from taking pictures or videos of women he did not know in a public place.
The order was imposed in October 2021 as part of a suspended prison sentence for an offence of 'upskirting', Manchester Crown Court heard.
Andrew Smoggie, 52, has been jailed for two years after photographing hundreds of women's bottoms at an LGBT festival last year
Officers spotted Smoggie taking pictures of unknowing women at Manchester Pride
Police saw Smoggie, previously known as Andrew Mackie, taking a number of photographs of passing women from behind on Peter Street in Manchester city centre on August 27 last year.
Katherine Wright, prosecuting, said Smoggie aimed the camera at their bottoms and the women he photographed 'were not aware photos were being taken'.
When officers challenged him, Smoggie, who has a history of sex offending, allegedly told police: 'It's not illegal to take photos in a public place.'
However, when an officer checked Smoggie's phone they found it contained 'multiple images of women mostly from behind focussing on their bottoms', Ms Wright said.
A check of police records established the defendant was the subject of a SHPO and he was arrested.
Analysis of the phone found 348 images of mostly adult women - all fully-clothed - who appeared to be unaware the snap had been taken, said Ms Wright.
Meanwhile, some of the images showed girls from the age of 14, the court was told.
When he was interviewed by officers, Smoggie said he had been 'set up to fail' because of the imposition of the SHPO. He insisted none of the pictures he had taken were for sexual gratification.
Smoggie was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), barring him from taking pictures or videos of women he did not know in a public place
As part of their investigation, police also uncovered a second phone belonging to Smoggie on which a further 1,400 pictures of women in a public place were found. The court heard some
