A vile sex offender was caught secretly using his phone to take "upskirt" pictures of two children.

George Locke, 22, of St David's Road, Ramsgate, committed the offences against the girls, who were both of secondary school age and unknown to him, in Canterbury city centre in April and May last year.

He is the first to be successfully prosecuted for "upskirting" by Kent Police under new legislation.

Locke was arrested on April 20, 2019, when a security guard at a store in Whitefriars, Canterbury, noticed him following young girls with his mobile phone out at Tesco Metro in Gravel Walk and the Primark in nearby Rose Lane.

He was later released from custody pending further inquiries.

But he was arrested again on May 23 after he was spotted taking a photo from beneath a girl’s skirt several days earlier, again in the Whitefriars area.

It had also been established by this point that he had taken a picture of a child without her permission on the date of his first arrest.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of operating equipment beneath the clothing of another without their consent when he appeared before Folkestone magistrates on Wednesday - where he received a three-month suspended prison sentence.

Locke will also have to sign the sex offenders’ register for the next seven years and must complete an 80-hour rehabilitation programme, 160 hours of unpaid work and 20 days of rehabilitation activity, in addition to paying £100 compensation to both of his victims.

DC Harriet Slegg said: "Upskirting is a terrible offence that can cause a victim to be humiliated, distressed and alarmed, and there is absolutely no place for it in society.

"The offender in this case targeted two children who should have been free to go shopping with their friends and family without worrying about someone like him taking secret photographs for his own sexual gratification.

"He will now be closely monitored as a registered sex offender and risks going straight to prison should he commit any further offences in the future."

Incidents relating to "upskirting" were previously prosecuted under the offence of outraging public decency.

But legislation introduced by the government last year made it a specific sexual offence with a maximum sentence of two years in prison.

An NSPCC spokesperson said: "By taking these images for his own sickening gratification the offender in this case has helped fuel a toxic culture of harassment.

"No child should ever have to experience this horrific and intrusive practice and we hope these two girls are now receiving the help and support they need to move on with their lives."

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