Voyeur banned from having camera in public after 'upskirting' women near Buckingham Palace

VOYEAUR: Richard Siviar, seen with a zebra from a Facebook post, filmed up women's skirts

A MUSICIAN who filmed up women's skirts near Buckingham Palace has been banned from having a recording camera in public for two years, but has avoided jail. Richard Sivier, 57, of Warren Road, Cambridge, was caught by police doing so-called upskirting, which involves using a camera to try to record women's underwear from underneath, on June 20 at Horse Guards Parade in London. One of the victims was pushing a pram. When caught, Sivier told police he claimed it was his hobby and that he had done it before during Trooping the Colour. Sentencing him at Westminster Magistrates Court today, Jane Smith said: “It is a serious offence. You were uploading the images on to a website. You were recording them and there were several victims.” Sivier admitted the offence of outraging public decency. Police saw him at around noon on the day in question close up behind a woman with a camera bag dangling near his ankles, and the lens of the camera was poking out and pointing upwards.

GUITAR: Sivier's other hobbies include playing in a band (Facebook)

prosecutor Trevor Green said he was seen trying to film up the skirt of a woman pushing a pram. He said said: “He followed behind her holding out the camera bag trying to film up her skirt.” He was sentenced to eight weeks in jail, suspended for two years and ordered to pay costs totalling £200. He was also banned for the next 24 months from having in a public place a camera capable of recording. Ms Smith stopped short of preventing him from having a phone in a public place “given they are an essential part of daily life”. He is also required to do 100 days of the Horizon sex offending programme and 20 days of rehabilitation. Paul Dillon, mitigating, said Sivier had “difficulty coming to terms with his behaviour”, was embarrassed by what he had done and realised it had put his marriage in jeopardy. He said his client was taking steps to change, including seeing a therapist.