Boy, six, was filmed in Preston pub toilets by pervert

A politics student who filmed a young boy in the toilets of a Preston pub was later found to have downloaded indecent images of other youngsters from the dark web.
James GildeaJames Gildea
James Gildea

Disgraced Preston man James Peter Gildea, 22, targeted the six-year-old in a restroom after the youngster had enjoyed a family day out to Fairhaven Lake in Lytham last July.

After admitting six sexual offences at Preston Crown Court he was ordered to sign the sex offender’s register and bailed to his grandparents’ address in Fulwood.

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The victim’s parents, who cannot be identified, said their son was too young to be aware of what had happened.

His dad added: “ We’re thankful of the pleas because we’re looking for closure of what has been an incredibly traumatic time. We want to move on with our lives.”

Gildea, whose family hail from Garstang, worked as a checkout operator at Morrisons and studied at Cardinal Newman College before moving to Stirling to study international politics.

He is also a former volunteer for a Barnardos charity shop.

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The defendant was caught as a result of intelligence regarding illicit images from a Dropbox account.

He admitted voyeurism, taking indecent photographs of category C, three counts of making indecent images, and possessing an extreme image involving a horse.

Judge Robert Altham adjourned his sentencing until May 29.