A TEENAGER who spied on women in supermarket toilets and filmed them to watch for sexual gratification escaped jail because he was “young”.

Between October 2008 and September 2009, Daniel Thomas Wilson secretly filmed dozens of women using public and private toilets in Chester, covering his ipod with toilet roll and on one occasion pretending to be a handyman.

On Monday, Chester magistrates heard how Wilson had filmed female friends in the bathroom of his mum’s house in Stanley Place before sneaking into cubicles at Tesco’s on Sealand Road and secretly recording footage of women.

When police searched Wilson’s house in Stanley Place last year, they found 22 images and films on his laptop of young women using toilets, which Wilson had edited to loop his favourite clips over and over again.

The court heard how, on April 20 last year, Wilson was seen by security guards exiting the ladies toilets at Tesco, on Sealand Road, having recorded a woman within a cubicle.

Prosecuting Sue Gibson said: “He goes so far as to sit on the toilet to make sure that they were in full view. Having set up the ipod he leaves the toilet and on some occasions can be heard speaking to his victims waiting to use the toilet.

“On one occasion he tells a victim the flush doesn’t work and he will sort it out when they are finished. He knew what he was doing - he edited the films for his own sexual pleasure.”

Defending, Ceri Evans said Wilson had actively sought medical help and had admitted his behaviour to his parents and his girlfriend despite being embarrassed.

“He is still only 18 and he was 17 at the time of the offences and was even younger when he recorded the images at his own home and parents’ addresses.

“The women were almost all in private addresses, he did not go out to the public at large, there is no other suggestion that there was any other filming in public.”

Magistrates sentenced Wilson to a three year community order with a supervision requirement and a sexual offences prevention order, making it illegal for him to take pictures or film any female without their permission.

Placing Wilson on the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years, presiding magistrate Tara Khalid said: “You would have gone to prison but we have taken into consideration your young age when you committed these offences.”

The ipod, mobile phone and laptop used by Wilson will be destroyed.