Police officer who spied on woman in shower claimed he was looking for his razor

Met sergeant took photos over bathroom door

Detective Sergeant Benjamin McNish is awaiting sentencing (CPS)

A police officer has been convicted of voyeurism for spying on a woman as she showered.

Detective Sergeant Benjamin McNish claimed he was only looking for his razor when he used his phone to take photographs of the naked woman, but the prosecution said this was an “absurd lie”.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the victim was showering at a flat in Swiss Cottage, London on the morning of 18 February 2019 when she noticed a phone camera pointing into the bathroom.

The camera vanished but when she looked again it had returned, leading her to become concerned someone was photographing or recording her as she washed.

She grabbed a towel and rushed out of the bathroom to find McNish, who she confronted about the incident.

The Metropolitan Police sergeant, who had worked in investigating child abuse and community support, admitted he had been taking pictures, saying: “Yeah, I was but I’ve deleted them.”

McNish was convicted on one count of voyeurism after a trial at Southwark Crown Court which concluded on Thursday.

He will return to the court for sentencing at a later date.

Andrew Levin, a senior specialist prosecutor from the CPS, said: “Benjamin McNish was a serving policeman who observed a woman showering without her consent for his own sexual gratification. This was a private act that McNish had no right to observe.

"He violated the victim’s privacy by spying on her in a bathroom. His actions were clearly illegal and wholly unacceptable."

Mr Levin went on: “During the trial McNish claimed that he had just been using his phone to look for his razor by the sink, but the prosecution was able to prove to the jury that this was an absurd lie.

“The CPS will always aim to prosecute those who commit criminal acts, regardless of who they are, where there is the evidence to do so.”