Colchester school IT worker avoided jail for filming in toilets

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 14 Oct, 15:02 · Archive

An apprentice IT technician secretly filmed staff and pupils, including children as young as four, in school toilets and avoided jail.

Toby Shellum, 24, of Chapman Place, Colchester, admitted nine counts of voyeurism, three counts of taking indecent images of children, three counts of making indecent images of children and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image. He filmed children as young as four by hiding cameras in cubicles and holding an iPhone under cubicles. He also recorded colleagues by filming from under their desks, then transferred the images and videos to his personal laptop.

The offences dated back to 2020. Shellum was often working unsupervised for long periods because his manager was shielding at home during the Covid pandemic. The prosecutor told Ipswich Crown Court that the offences represented 'a pattern of offending'. They came to light when a pupil who had been filmed in a cubicle told a teacher.

Shellum initially denied the offences in a police interview but was later heard by detention officers admitting he had lied. He described getting 'an adrenaline rush' from targeting his victims. The judge said the six-year delay in bringing the case had caused trauma for everyone involved. Four victims read impact statements to the court, saying they felt 'violated, shocked and angry'. Shellum avoided jail despite his convictions.

How it is being reported

• Paedo IT worker violated pupils by filming them in toilets at Colchester schoolAn apprentice IT technician who secretly filmed staff and pupils in school toilets avoided jail after his case took six years to reach court.Colchester Gazette · 14 Oct, 05:00
• Paedo IT worker violated pupils by filming them in toilets at Colchester schoolAn apprentice IT technician who secretly filmed staff and pupils in school toilets avoided jail after his case took six years to reach court.Echo (Basildon) · 14 Oct, 05:00

In this story: Toby Shellum · Ipswich Crown Court · Colchester

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