A sick father figure had been filming his step-daughter in the bath for three years before she realised on the eve of her 18th birthday.
Thomas Craig Lewis had known the victim since she was just four years old – however he had been secretly taking videos of her.
The 35-year-old pervert was caught filming Lauren Brightwood the night before her birthday while she took a bath at home.
She spotted a camera above the bathroom door, placed by Lewis, reports Wales Online.
When he was confronted, he came up with excuses – first he claimed he thought Lauren was crying and then changed his story to claim he "curious" about how she looked as an adult.
On Tuesday, Northampton Crown Court heard that Lewis – known to pals as Craig – had actually made between around 10 secret video recordings.
In a powerful victim impact statement that was read aloud to the court, Lauren detailed the horror and utter betrayal she felt by her depraved step-dad.
She said: "I went into a state of shock, I didn't really know how to process it. This is not something that people normally have to deal with and I didn't know what to do."
"I am anxious when entering bathrooms as I don't want something to happen to me again. I don't think this is fair.
"Craig is not my biological dad but I treated him like one since age four."
On the night in question – November 27, 2018 – Ms Lewis noticed what appeared to be a phone through a window above the bathroom door.
The phone quickly disappeared before appearing again, remaining in place for around 10 seconds before footsteps were heard walking away.
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Prosecuting counsel Ben Gow said the victim immediately text her mother Michelle from the bathroom to avoid alerting Lewis.
Michelle then confronted her partner of 13 years about what the hell was going on – and he admitted he had made recordings of Lauren "a couple of times" in the house and in the family's previous home in Wales.
The police were called and investigations took place. Lewis later handed himself into a police station to confess what he'd done.
He told officers he had made between five and 10 video recordings of the teenager between the ages of 14 and 17 years old.
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Lauren, who bravely waived her right to anonymity, said she now suffers from anxiety and depression as well as a suspected eating disorder as a result of what happened.
David Singh, defending, said his client had no previous convictions, had sought professional help for his actions and had pleaded guilty to two counts of voyeurism.
However, Judge Rebecca Crane said it was clear from a pre-sentence report that the defendant had not accepted the reasons behind his actions.
She said: "I do not consider you are yet being honest to yourself and everyone else."
In total, Lewis, of Capel Road, Llanelli, was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.
He was also ordered to undertake 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirement and to complete 100 hours of unpaid work.
If you or somebody you know has been affected by this story, contact Victim Support for free, confidential advice on 0845 30 30 900 or visit their website, www.victimsupport.org.uk.
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