A man who exploited his position as a photographer has been jailed for more than eight years for a string of sex and voyeurism offences.
Steven Liles, aged 60, appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Friday (26 June) having previously been found guilty at trial for offences spanning from 2009 to 2019.
Liles began working as a freelance photographer and videographer for private events and dance schools across the Midlands after he was made redundant from a previous job. It was through these roles he met many of his victims.
Liles converted his home garage into a photography studio and set up a hidden camera in his office, where he would ask the people he was taking photos of to get changed.
The footage was discovered by police after his devices were seized, and during the trial in April he was found guilty of three counts of voyeurism. Two of these counts relate to footage of children and the third relates to footage of an adult.
Liles also befriended women with children and exploited his relationship with the mothers to groom and sexually assault the young girls. He was found guilty of one count of sexual assault on a child under 13 and three counts of sexual activity with a child.
When handing Liles the eight years and six months jail term, Judge Jackson described the sex offender as ‘a deviant behind a mask’, and the words, ‘targeted’, ‘groomed’, ‘sexual predator’, and ‘false friend’ were heard throughout.
Detective Sergeant Shelley Aplin from the Major Investigation Unit said: “I want to commend the victims for their unwavering courage and patience throughout the entire investigation, which has undoubtably been extremely difficult for them.
“They have told their story and should hold their heads high. Everyone who has come forward and supported this investigation has helped bring this offender to justice.
“Liles is a predator whose behaviour affected so many lives and caused immense emotional turmoil. It was right that he has been given a lengthy prison sentence.”
Liles was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) indefinitely, which prohibits him from contacting and having unsupervised contact with children once released from prison.
He was also ordered to pay £4360 in court charges.
