A convicted sex offender has been sentenced to prison after secretly capturing nearly 800 images of men using public toilets in an Aldi store.
Chleo Sunter, 37, was found in possession of 790 photographs and 15 video recordings, all taken inside restroom stalls and near urinals.
She took the photos in the men’s loos at an Aldi supermarket, a shopping centre in Middlesbrough, and at Darlington Train Station between January and November 2023.
Sunter, previously known as John Leslie Graham, admitted to two counts of voyeurism at Teesside Crown Court.
She also admitted six breaches of a sexual harm prevention order after she was found to be in possession of extreme pornographic images in 2014 when Sunter was named John Leslie Graham.
Sunter was caught with the material when her sex offender manager turned up at her home in Thornaby, to check she was complying with the court order.
Photos and videos of victims using public conveniences near Middlesbrough’s Captain Cook Square shopping centre, at a Middlesbrough Aldi, and at Darlington station were stored on her phone.
A registered sex offender put her phone under public toilet cubicles to secretly record men using the loo. Sunter was caught with 790 pictures and 15 videos of men inside toilet cubicles and standing at urinals.
She took the photos in the men’s loos at an Aldi supermarket, a shopping centre in Middlesbrough, and at Darlington Train Station. Sunter, previously known as John Leslie Graham, admitted her latest offences at Teesside Crown Court on Wednesday.
Paul Newcombe, prosecuting, told the court: “Some of the males were stood at the urinals. Some were recorded under the cubicles.”
On a police visit in November 2023, Sunter wasn’t at home but was found nearby.
Police investigators found she had deleted 695 chats, 712 photos, and four videos from the gay dating app, Grindr, the court heard.
Sunter had also been using her phone in incognito mode so that her internet history couldn’t be seen.
She further breached the terms of the order by resetting her phone to factory settings.
Mitigating, John Nixon said Sunter has a history of alcohol abuse and “no longer has a phone or laptop with internet access.”
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Sunter’s barrister asked the judge to consider a court order instead of prison, arguing that incarceration would result in her losing accommodation and facing homelessness upon release.
Judge Geoffrey Marson acknowledged Sunter’s mental health difficulties and particular circumstances but stated that they had “little or no effect on the offences.”
The judge sentenced Sunter, of Avon Close, Thornaby, to 26 months in prison, telling her that he accepted she is “emotionally vulnerable and custody will be difficult.”
