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French 'cybercop' charged with upskirting via cameras attached to his shoes

A man ties his shoe laces - Yegor Aleyev/TASS
A man ties his shoe laces - Yegor Aleyev/TASS

A former deputy police chief was allegedly caught filming under women’s skirts in a Paris department store using cameras fitted to his shoes.

The 61-year-old man, who has not been named, was allegedly approaching women and sticking his feet out to capture images under their clothing.

Some of the women complained about his behaviour and a security guard at the BHV store in central Paris realised that he appeared to be “upskirting”, or surreptitiously taking photos up women's skirts. He called the police, who arrested the man on Monday. He is due to stand trial in January for “voyeurism” and “taking intimate images without permission”.

The accused man retired in June from the police force of the Val de Marne district, south-east of Paris, where he had served as the second highest ranking officer for seven years.

A technology enthusiast, he reportedly headed France’s first police unit wholly dedicated to investigating computer and online fraud in the 1990s, which earned him the nickname “cybercop”.

Upskirting is prohibited under voyeurism and privacy laws in France and also became a criminal offence in the UK last year.

Police searched his home after arresting him, but declined to say if they had found illegal images or video.

The suspect had an illustrious career and held a series of senior posts in Paris, during which he was awarded the Police Medal of Honour and the National Order of Merit .

Police declined to comment on the case, but according to Le Parisien newspaper, he was described by former colleagues as “discreet”, “a gentleman” and a “strict” officer who demanded exemplary behaviour from those under his command.

Earlier this year a policeman in the Paris area was charged with “infringement of privacy” after admitting that he had filmed a woman in the fitting room of a sportswear shop. He explained his actions by saying he “needed adrenalin”.

Police forces across England and Wales recorded more than 150 allegations of upskirting in the six months after it became a criminal offence last year.