A devout Christian who secretly filmed women as they got undressed in mixed gender changing rooms at a leisure centre has ben jailed.
Married finance manager Richard Halck, 38, would push his mobile phone under the doors and walls of private cubicles to take videos of victims after swimming classes.
He then stored the videos on a secure online folder next to his Holy Bible app.
Halck was caught after one woman he had tried to chat up in the changing rooms noticed the device being held underneath the back of her cubicle as she was getting changed.
She wrapped a towel around herself and said, ‘I can see you recording me,’ before running out and alerting a lifeguard.
Police called to the Winsford Lifestyle centre in Cheshire seized Halck’s phone and discovered he had already deleted the footage.
But further inquiries revealed he had recorded videos of six other unidentified women and one man at leisure centres.
In the investigation that began in August 2023, police also found 223 indecent videos including footage of a woman sunbathing topless in her garden.
In a statement the victim who cannot be named said: ‘I have been surprised at how much this incident has affected me psychologically and I worry about him coming after me again.
‘I did not suffer from anxiety before and now it is so severe I have had to see my GP.
‘From being a confident sociable woman, I now feel anxious and weak, a shell of the person that I was. I do not feel safe at home or when alone. I am constantly jumpy.
‘I am afraid to go out to the car in the night or even in the garden. I am afraid that he will seek revenge on me for bringing his offending behaviour to light.
‘I have to take daily medication for anxiety. I constantly feel on edge.
‘This has really opened my eyes. Even if I am in a place that seems nice, I question people’s intentions and I am still distrusting of individuals.
‘The man who did this to me was talking to me, engaging me in conversation and seemed friendly. I now know his intentions were so sinister.’
At Chester Crown Court, Halck, from Stafford, who previously worked as a church administrator in his native South Africia pleaded guilty to nine charges of observing a person doing a private act for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification and was jailed for 55 weeks.
His wife who is standing by him burst into tears as he was led away to the cells.
Prosecutor Anna Price said: ‘The complainant was in the pool when the defendant introduced himself to her and they had some conversation.
‘Once out of the pool she noticed the defendant had also come out and into the mixed changing rooms where he carried on the conversation.
‘He suggested they should exchange numbers, which she just ignored and she then went into a private cubicle to get changed.
‘But while doing so she noticed a phone being held underneath the back of the cubicle, under the bench.
‘She could see it was on selfie mode and was filming her.
‘She wrapped her towel around herself and said, “I can see you recording me”, but the phone stayed in position and carried on recording for a few moments before being pulled out of her cubicle.
‘She then saw the phone appear again underneath the bench, still recording. She ran out of the cubicle and asked a lifeguard for help, showing which cubicle the person recording had been in.
‘Gym staff knocked on the cubicle but the defendant initially ignored requests to come out.
‘He did eventually open the door and the woman could see the defendant sitting inside.
‘Staff asked him if he had been filming her and he admitted he had but said he had deleted the videos.
‘He then handed over the phone when asked to do so.
‘They looked at his phone – they could see a lot of pornography but no video of the woman.
‘The defendant apologised saying he was sorry. She said, “You are just sorry you have been caught.”
‘Police were called and went to the leisure centre while the defendant was still there and he was arrested and his phone seized.
‘The incident made the complainant feel physically sick, embarrassed, humiliated and violated.
‘She said she is terrified of seeing the defendant again and it made her feel extremely anxious.’
Miss Price added: ‘The defendant’s mobile phone was examined and there was evidence of video of the complainant aving been on the phone but having been deleted.
‘There was a secure folder on the phone and a large amount of pornography, and numerous videos of a lady sunbathing naked in a back garden – which appeared to have been filmed through a hole in a fence.
‘Within the secure folder there were also nine videos of unidentified people – six females, one male – naked within private changing cubicles.
‘The videos appear to have been taken in the same way as the video of the complainant was taken, by holding the phone under the wall of the cubicle.’
In interview Halck admitted filming the woman but denied it was for sexual gratification.
He gave no comment when asked about the other videos. His counsel Mark Connor said: ‘There is clearly a good and decent side to Mr Halck.
‘A relative of the defendant, describes him as decent, honest, compassionate and kind. He wants me to say he understands and apologises for his reprehensible behaviour and the harm he has clearly caused the victims.
‘He is regretful and ashamed for what had become an entrenched habit in order to satisfy his sexual desires.
‘He is absolutely disgusted with what he did has reengaged with the church and has taken an appropriate attitude towards rehabilitation.
‘He is extremely lucky that he has his wife standing by him supporting him. Not that she is at all happy with what he has done.’
Halck was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years and was told to abide by the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Judge Simon Berkson told him: ‘You were only found out because your victim saw what you were doing when she was getting changed. A prison sentence must follow. The aggravating factors are the number of video and images taken on a number of different dates.’
After the case Det Con Sarah Ollier of Cheshire Police said: ‘Halck’s actions have had a lasting impact on his victims, who were simply going about their daily business.
‘He violated his victims’ personal space and privacy, filming them without their consent in places that they should be able to feel safe.’