Man jailed for sex offences after schoolgirls reported upskirting at Knutsford Station

Following a British Transport Police investigation James Rudge, of Canute Place, Knutsford, was jailed for 18 months at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, 27 May.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register and issued with a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years after pleading guilty to five counts of voyeurism, two counts of making indecent images of a child and one count of possessing extreme pornographic images.

The SHPO forbids Rudge from taking a photo or video in a  public place; possessing any device which stores images; installing any encryption software on any device; using the cloud or any other remote storage media and from having any unsupervised contact with a child under 16.

He must also pay a £187 victim surcharge.

The court heard how, on Thursday 11 May last year, three schoolgirls aged 15 and 16 spotted Rudge at Knutsford station crouched down near the steps with his phone seemingly filming the ground before turning the phone the other way round.

The girls reported the incident to BTP and Rudge was identified from CCTV. On arrest at his home address officers searched the property and recovered his mobile phone.

On examination the phone revealed numerous upskirting images as well as other more extreme images.

When presented with the evidence  Rudge admitted all the offences.

Investigating officer DC Marsha Selby said:

"Thanks to the bravery of the young girls coming forward and immediately reporting Rudge, officers unravelled his secret life and the horrifying extent of his perversion.

"We will stop at nothing to deter, pursue, arrest and bring sex offenders on the railway network to justice.

“Every report is important. See it or experience it, you can report anything that makes you uncomfortable.

"We urge everyone to save 61016 to their phones and download the Railway Guardian app before you travel so you can discreetly get in touch with us if you need us.”