A Metropolitan Police counter-terrorism officer has pleaded guilty to 19 charges of secretly recording naked women without their permission over several years using a spy camera.
40-year-old suspended Detective Inspector Neil Corbel was charged with 19 counts of voyeurism last month and pleaded guilty to all of them at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
Between January 2017 and February 2020, Corbel used a false identity to book models online and then used hidden cameras – including those disguised as an alarm clock, an air freshener, and glasses – to record the women without their permission.
Images of 51 victims were found on Corbel's hard drive, with 19 making statements against him, according to local reports. Some of the victims were in a relationship with the officer, while others were models and escorts who had not agreed to be filmed. The crimes reportedly took place across Greater London, Manchester, and Brighton.
Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring said in court that Corbel “went to quite extraordinary lengths to hide what he was doing,” while prosecutor Babatunde Alabi said Corbel had planted the secret cameras to record the women “while they were undressing before the shoots.”
Corbel also allegedly positioned the women during the shoots so that secret cameras would be aimed directly at inappropriate areas.
Sentencing is not due to take place until October 4.
Metropolitan Police claimed in a statement that Corbel “was not on duty at the time of the alleged offences” and revealed that the officer had been “suspended from duty.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Marcus Barnett also said Metropolitan Police was “truly disappointed in the actions of the officer which are not at all representative of the high values and standards we expect.”
“I am saddened by the pain and hurt that he has caused,” Barnett added.
Between January 2017 and February 2020, Corbel used a false identity to book models online and then used hidden cameras – including those disguised as an alarm clock, an air freshener, and glasses – to record the women without their permission.
Images of 51 victims were found on Corbel's hard drive, with 19 making statements against him, according to local reports. Some of the victims were in a relationship with the officer, while others were models and escorts who had not agreed to be filmed. The crimes reportedly took place across Greater London, Manchester, and Brighton.
Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring said in court that Corbel “went to quite extraordinary lengths to hide what he was doing,” while prosecutor Babatunde Alabi said Corbel had planted the secret cameras to record the women “while they were undressing before the shoots.”
Corbel also allegedly positioned the women during the shoots so that secret cameras would be aimed directly at inappropriate areas.
Sentencing is not due to take place until October 4.
Metropolitan Police claimed in a statement that Corbel “was not on duty at the time of the alleged offences” and revealed that the officer had been “suspended from duty.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Marcus Barnett also said Metropolitan Police was “truly disappointed in the actions of the officer which are not at all representative of the high values and standards we expect.”
“I am saddened by the pain and hurt that he has caused,” Barnett added.