Ryan Beaumont from Hartford secretly filmed women and children

Ryan Beaumont, of Homewood Crescent in Hartford, has been sentenced after committing a string of 21 sexual offences between 2013 and 2019 involving 17 different victims.

This includes nine counts relating to indecent images of children, eight counts of voyeurism and four counts of what is commonly referred to as upskirting.

For this, the 38-year-old was imprisoned for three years, of which he will have to serve just half before being released on licence.

The sentencing, at Chester Crown Court on Friday (February 23), began with Michael Whitty, prosecuting, detailing the circumstances of all 21 charges on a 'crammed' indictment.

Beaumont’s offending first came to police attention in June 2021, when he was arrested at his place of work – a car dealership in Mold, Wales.

A search of his then address in Deeside resulted in police seizing several hard drives, laptops and a mobile phone holding hundreds of images and videos.

The first seven counts on the indictment concerned the taking of indecent images of children.

Ryan Beaumont (Image: Cheshire Police)

One instance saw Beaumont film children as they showered and another involved him filming a naked child 'in the midst of being potty trained'.  

Another occasion saw him film up the skirt of a five-year-old at Chester Raft Race in 2017 and he also filmed the children of people whom he had worked with as a mechanic or volunteered with at a community organisation in Mold.

Counts eight and nine on the indictment concern the possession of indecent images of children, namely 552 category C images and one category B image.

The next eight charges all relate to voyeurism.

Using hidden cameras, Beaumont filmed several women changing and using the toilet at his former home.

The remaining charges relate to upskirting and involved one instance where he filmed a woman who had called him to repair a vehicle and another at a wedding.

Beaumont, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to all 21 offences at Chester Crown Court on January 2.

The majority of Beaumont’s victims only found out about what had happened when they were told by police during the investigation.

At the sentencing hearing, four of them read out statements.

One victim, the mother of children he had filmed and someone whose wedding he had attended, said: “It feels that everywhere we turn there is a reminder of Ryan and the friendship we had. A reminder of the betrayal.

“To find what Ryan was doing has sickened me.”

Another mother of children he had filmed added: “When police came to my home, I was screaming. It was the type of scream you expect to hear in a horror film.

“You never expect an officer to show you a photo of your own daughter. I was blindsided. “

One of the victims of voyeurism was on maternity leave when she found out and later left her job at Cheshire Police due to the anxiety it caused her.

“I have regular nightmares,” she said.

“I am anxious when going into town or using any toilet that isn’t my own. I look for where cameras may be hidden. It's absolutely disgusting.”

One of the upskirting victims was someone who had known Beaumont for a long time. She said: “These actions have made me feel vulnerable and trapped.

“I hope you regret what you have done for the rest of your life. After today I never want anything to do with you.”

Defending, Max Saffman read out a statement prepared by Beaumont.

He said: “I would like to say I’m sorry to everyone I have hurt.

“I cannot apologise enough. No one is more disappointed in myself than me.”

Alongside the prison sentence, Judge Simon Berkson issued a restraining order and a sexual harm prevention order, banning Beaumont from owning a phone with a camera and from ever working with children.

He said: “What a grotesque breach of trust this behaviour demonstrates.

“Nobody in the room could not be caused upset by what they have heard, in fact when I looked around the room there was not one person who was not upset.

“No person should blame themselves for what has happened to them or their children.”