A transgender sex offender has been jailed after taking nearly 800 voyeuristic pictures of men using public toilets.
Chleo Sunter, 37, previously known as John Leslie Graham, was caught with 790 photographs and 15 videos of men inside toilet cubicles and standing at urinals.
The images were taken secretly in various locations between January and November 2023.
Sunter took the photos in men's toilets at an Aldi supermarket in Middlesbrough, the Captain Cook Square shopping centre, and at Darlington Train Station.
Sunter - who identifies as a woman - appeared at Teesside Crown Court and admitted to two counts of voyeurism.
Some of the victims were photographed standing at urinals, while others were recorded from under cubicles.
The 37-year-old also admitted six breaches of a sexual harm prevention order at the same hearing.
The court heard that Sunter had been found in possession of extreme pornographic images in 2014 - as John Leslie Graham - which had led to the sexual harm prevention order being imposed.
Sunter's offences came to light when a sex offender manager visited the 37-year-old's home in Thornaby to check compliance with the court order.
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Prosecutor Paul Newcombe told the court: "Some of the males were stood at the urinals. Some were recorded under the cubicles."
When officers visited in November 2023, Sunter wasn't at home, but was found nearby.
Police investigators discovered that 695 chats, 712 photos, and four videos had been deleted on Sunter's phone from the gay dating app Grindr.
Sunter had also been using the phone in "incognito mode" to hide its internet history.
This was a further breach of the order, along with resetting the phone to factory settings.
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In mitigation, John Nixon said Sunter has a history of alcohol abuse and "no longer has a phone or laptop with internet access".
Sunter's barrister asked the judge to consider a non-custodial sentence.
He argued that imprisonment would cause Sunter to lose access to accommodation and face homelessness upon release.
Judge Geoffrey Marson acknowledged Sunter's mental health difficulties and "particular circumstances" but said they had "little, or no affect on the offences".
The judge sentenced the "emotionally vulnerable" Sunter, of Avon Close, Thornaby, to 26 months in prison - and warned: "Custody will be difficult".
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Chleo Sunter, 37, previously known as John Leslie Graham, was caught with 790 photographs and 15 videos of men inside toilet cubicles and standing at urinals.
The images were taken secretly in various locations between January and November 2023.
Sunter took the photos in men's toilets at an Aldi supermarket in Middlesbrough, the Captain Cook Square shopping centre, and at Darlington Train Station.
Sunter - who identifies as a woman - appeared at Teesside Crown Court and admitted to two counts of voyeurism.
Some of the victims were photographed standing at urinals, while others were recorded from under cubicles.
The 37-year-old also admitted six breaches of a sexual harm prevention order at the same hearing.
The court heard that Sunter had been found in possession of extreme pornographic images in 2014 - as John Leslie Graham - which had led to the sexual harm prevention order being imposed.
Sunter's offences came to light when a sex offender manager visited the 37-year-old's home in Thornaby to check compliance with the court order.
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Prosecutor Paul Newcombe told the court: "Some of the males were stood at the urinals. Some were recorded under the cubicles."
When officers visited in November 2023, Sunter wasn't at home, but was found nearby.
Police investigators discovered that 695 chats, 712 photos, and four videos had been deleted on Sunter's phone from the gay dating app Grindr.
Sunter had also been using the phone in "incognito mode" to hide its internet history.
This was a further breach of the order, along with resetting the phone to factory settings.
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In mitigation, John Nixon said Sunter has a history of alcohol abuse and "no longer has a phone or laptop with internet access".
Sunter's barrister asked the judge to consider a non-custodial sentence.
He argued that imprisonment would cause Sunter to lose access to accommodation and face homelessness upon release.
Judge Geoffrey Marson acknowledged Sunter's mental health difficulties and "particular circumstances" but said they had "little, or no affect on the offences".
The judge sentenced the "emotionally vulnerable" Sunter, of Avon Close, Thornaby, to 26 months in prison - and warned: "Custody will be difficult".
Find Out More...