A senior social worker who used a hidden camera to
film up women’s skirts for "his own sexual gratification" has been
struck off.
Michael Bird, 55, who had experience of working
with survivors of sexual abuse, admitted approaching the women in
four different public places in Newcastle using an adapted tennis
racquet bag with a digital camera concealed inside. He later
downloaded the videos, which lasted for several minutes each, onto
his personal computer.
A conduct committee of the General Social Care
Council concluded that despite glowing references from colleagues,
and an "excellent" record in social work stretching back 25 years,
Bird’s behaviour was "fundamentally incompatible" with his
responsibilities as a practitioner.
The committee described his actions as "a serious
violation of women’s privacy, being both degrading and
humiliating". The individuals concerned "would have been horrified
to learn that they had been filmed in such a way", the committee
added.
Bird did not attend the hearing in London but
admitted all of the offences, which took place over a two-day
period in June 2008 in four shops in the Newcastle area: a Tesco
store in Kingston Park; Sainsbury’s in Gosforth High Street; River
Island in Eldon Square; and Fenwick department store in Newcastle
city centre.
He was sacked by North Tyneside Council following
an internal investigation in August 2008 and received a police
caution for voyeurism in relation to the incidents in February this
year.
When asked to explain his actions, he told his
employer he had been showing his son how to use a video recorder
for a school project, adding that he "had previously seen videos on
the internet of up women’s skirts and wondered how it could
work".
But in a statement submitted to the conduct
committee, Bird said his actions were driven by a curiosity to see
whether he was able to gain the footage without the women’s consent
after talking about a voyeuristic website with a friend.
The committee said it was "unconvinced by these
conflicting explanations" and noted that he told a police officer
he carried out the filming for his own personal sexual
gratification.
The fact that he did it on more than one occasion
disproved his claim that it was a one-off incident driven by
curiosity, the committee concluded.
"The behaviour was brought to a halt because he was
caught," the chairman said in a statement. "It is not known what
would have happened had he not been caught on the second
occasion."
A spokesperson for North Tyneside Council said: "This former
employee was dismissed in August 2008 after an internal
investigation about the incident and the matter was referred to the
General Social Care Council. "
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