Man held for filming women in changing room

MANAGEMENT at a leisure centre in Co Louth has refused to comment on a Garda investigation into claims a man was filming women in the changing rooms.

The man is alleged to have filmed reflections of women changing on a mirror he held over a cubicle.

Gardaí launched a probe after a number of complaints were made in early to mid-July about a man acting suspiciously at the Alphonsus Road swimming pool in Dundalk. A plan was put into operation at the end of July and a man was arrested in the last few days in the grounds of the complex. He was carrying a video camera.

Tapes were discovered during follow-up searches of his house and other buildings he has access to. Gardaí will attempt to identify and contact the women on the tapes.

After being arrested, the man, in his 30s and from the Dundalk area, is said to have co-operated with gardaí. He was then was released without charge while a file is prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions. Gardaí are unsure at this stage what charges he will face.

A number of women who made complaints have given statements and others will be contacted by gardaí.

It is expected the file may take some time to complete, after which the DPP will make a decision whether to prosecute. If the office does so, the man will then be formally arrested and questioned. Meanwhile, the man is reported to be undergoing medical treatment.

Gardaí are to sift through a number of tapes in order to identify the women that have been filmed.

A garda source said: “There are people on the tapes who were not aware of what was going on and we are working back to identify them to give them the opportunity to make complaints.

“This will take time and may be a very upsetting experience for those involved.”

A duty manager at the leisure complex said yesterday: “We are not available to make a comment.”