Met Police officer secretly filmed nude models in rooms rigged with spycams
A Met Police officer took illicit naked videos of models with spy cameras hidden in his spectacles, clocks, keys, and a phone charger, a court heard.
Detective Inspector Neil Corbel, 40, pretended to be a pilot with a side-line in photography as he organised the nude shoots, at luxury hotel rooms and flats that he had rigged with hidden cameras.
The former anti-terror officer took hours of footage, using cameras disguised as an alarm clock, a watch, an air freshener, and one hidden within a tissue box, and also filmed some of the women as they undressed before the shoot began.
Westminster magistrates court heard models had been booked by Corbel for nude photoshoots, but with a promise that no videos would be taken.
He plead guilty on Monday morning to 19 counts of voyeurism, committed between January 2017 and February last year at locations in the Greater London, Manchester and Brighton areas.
He was set free on unconditional bail by Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring, but could face a jail term when he is sentenced next month.
Prosecutor Babatunde Alabi said Corbel’s perverted crimes were uncovered when one of the models noticed a suspicious-looking clock during a shoot.
“She made a note of the brand name”, he said. “At one stage she went to the toilet and checked the name on the Internet.
“What came up was spy cameras.
“As soon as the session ended she went to a police station and made a report about it.”
He said Corbel had used the alias “Harrison” when organising the photoshoots, hiring a string of models and also some sex workers.
The officer, who works in the Met’s Continuous Policing Improvement command, admitted in interview that he had “filmed women surreptitiously using covert cameras” and a string of the devices were recovered from his Hertfordshire home.
Mr Alabi said images of 51 separate women were recovered, with 19 of them identified and cooperating with enquiries for charges to be brought.
“Apart from one who agreed to be videoed, the others didn’t agree to be videoed,” he said. “One agreed to open legs photos, but again there was no mention of videoing.”
The prosecutor said some of the women grew suspicious of the devices planted around the room, but Corbel assured them that no filming was taking place.
“What’s obvious from watching the videos is that, from time to time, he manoeuvres the models so that open-leg photos and images were obtained.”
He added that Corbel had a camera hidden in his spectacles for some of the photoshoots, and he had “set up the rooms well in advance with devices strategically placed”.
“He went to quite extraordinary lengths to hide what he was doing,” said the judge.
Corbel, who is currently suspended from duty and under investigation by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards, admitted when questioned by officers that he had secretly filmed women.
Mr Alabi told the court: “There is no suggestion the images were shared with others.”
Corbel is due to return to court on October 4 for a sentencing hearing.
Assessments by a forensic psychologist and a specialist in addiction are due to be presented to the court.
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