A prolific sex offender who repeatedly filmed himself carrying out indecent acts in Congleton and Macclesfield has been jailed.
Lewis Spencer appeared at Chester Crown Court, where he was sentenced to two years and six months in prison.
The 23-year-old, of Birch Road, Congleton, was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely.
Spencer had previously pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual assault, seven counts of exposure and possession of extreme pornography.
The court heard how on Boxing Day 2023, Spencer was due to start his first shift at a fast-food establishment in Macclesfield.
His victim, a 21-year-old woman, also worked at the store. She began taking a stock count at around 5.40pm that day when she noticed Spencer standing close behind her.
The victim had a feeling that Spencer was recording her, but she continued working. She then felt Spencer touch her with something. She turned around but Spencer apologised and put his phone away.
She told her manager about the incident. The manager checked a CCTV camera in the store which revealed Spencer had touched her with his penis while he recorded himself on his mobile phone.
The incident was immediately reported to police and Spencer was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault a few days later.
Following examination of his mobile phone, officers discovered 17 videos of Spencer committing similar sexual offences against a number of women between December 10, 2023 and Boxing Day, 2023.
All of the videos depicted Spencer carrying out sexual acts near to or behind women of various ages, all of whom appear to be unaware of what he was doing.
Extreme pornography was also recovered from his phone. He was subsequently charged with four counts of sexual assault, seven accounts of exposure, and one count of extreme pornography.
“Completely unacceptable”
Detective inspector Robert Lees said: “Spencer is an incredibly dangerous and perverse individual who preyed on innocent and unwitting women who were simply going about their daily lives.
“He was surreptitious in his actions, with his victims having no idea of the depraved acts he was carrying out.
“Despite all of the work undertaken by our officers to find and contact the women, some of them were unidentifiable from the videos and may not even be aware they were victims.
“His behaviour is completely unacceptable, and I’m glad he’s being held accountable for his actions behind bars, where he can no longer pose a threat to women.
“Putting an end to violence against women and girls remains a top priority for the force, and we will continue to remove sexual predators like Spencer from our county and ensure they see justice.
“We treat all allegations of sexual offences extremely seriously, and any allegation will be thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority.
“Victims should never feel ashamed to talk about what they have been subjected to. They will receive the help and support they need from our specialist officers, as well as from other support agencies we work alongside, and all victims of sexual offences have the right to anonymity.”
To report any sexual offence, call Cheshire Constabulary on 101.
