Electrician Carl Underdown faces prison after lewd filming
by Paul Hooper
Spooky sparky Carl Underdown is facing prison... two years after
he was nabbed whistling the Queen hit song Don't Stop Me Now while
secretly filming up women's skirts.
The 25-year-old pervert, pictured left, was caught secretly
videoing in Morrison's supermarket in 2010.
Now he has admitted groping a schoolgirl's breasts.
Former electrician Underdown, of Western Esplanade, Herne Bay,
has been told to expect a "significant term of imprisonment" after
admitting sexually touching the teenager.
Canterbury Crown Court heard the incident, which happened in
September last year, took place at a shelter on Herne Bay pier.
The sexual assault was committed while he was subject to a
suspended jail sentence.
He changed his plea to guilty on the day his trial was due to
start and will now be sentenced in January after a judge ordered
the preparation of probation and psychiatric reports.
Judge James O'Mahony told Underdown he had been granted
bail until the sentencing hearing "by the skin of your teeth".
In October 2010, he was given a 120-day jail sentence
- suspended for two years - after he secretly videoed 16 women
in the Beach Street supermarket.
His lawyer at the time, Keith Betts, told magistrates: "He had
been employed as an electrician and working for the family firm -
work that, following his court appearance, was affected by coverage
in the Press.
"It became clear that people employing his family's company were
aware of the offences and his family had to sack him for the sake
of the business."
Underdown's perverted secret filming was discovered in July 2010
after he was spotted prowling supermarket aisles with his
iPhone.
A young mother was shopping with her daughter when she noticed
him kneeling beside her at the bread counter.
Canterbury Crown Court,
where Underdown's case was heard
She said: "He was crouched down on his knees with an iPhone in
his hand. I could see the camera bit poking out of the case. He was
so close he could have actually put his head up my skirt.
"He was whistling the Queen song Don't Stop Me Now. I thought
'Don't stop you? I just want to punch you'."
The frightened woman moved away, but the persistent pervert
followed.
She said: "Every time I looked round he was there crouched down
with the phone out. I just wanted to cry.
"I thought the staff knew what he was up to because they looked
like they were watching him, but he didn't seem to care."
The woman alerted staff and Underdown was arrested after
returning to the store five days later.
Clips of the 16 women were found on his phone.
The court was told Underdown's life had been turned upside down
since his arrest.
Mr Betts said: "Not only has he lost his job, but he's lost most
of his friends as well.
"People just don't want to associate with him. It's something he
has to accept as a consequence of his actions."
Betts added Underdown had gained "no sexual gratification
whatsoever" from the videos and had no intention of posting them on
the internet.
26/11/12
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