A Surrey pensioner who admitted to setting up a secret camera in a toilet has been given a suspended sentence.

Peter Masters was told his actions in 2023 were serious enough to warrant prison – but the 67-year-old was spared custody because of his age and the fallout from his actions.

Masters, who recently moved to an address in Haslemere, was sentenced at Staines Magistrates Court after previously indicating guilty to two counts of voyeurism.

The first count involved the installation of a camera to observe another person doing a private act between March 9 and June 9, 2023.

The second involved the recording of a private act using the same equipment on or before June 9, with both offences taking place at an address in Waverley borough.

The court heard that users were unaware of the camera’s existence or the fact they were being recorded.

The prosecution said: “The camera has a disk which was downloaded by authorities and they were able to see that it had been used to record what had been going on.”

Shalin Sood, for Masters, accepted the defendant had “breached a position of trust” and his actions were beyond the custody threshold.

But she asked for leniency given his age, lack of previous convictions and the personal impact his actions have already had on his life.

She said, “He needs help and intervention,” adding that Masters needed to get to the cause of his actions himself.

Masters was given a 12-month sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.

He was also ordered to pay a £187 Victim Surcharge, £85 costs, take part in a rehabilitation programme, and report to Staines police station to be added to the Sex Offenders Register.

An order for the destruction of the camera was also made.