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Celeb osteopath who parked outside uni halls with telescope and camera to perv on female students undressing is jailed
Celeb osteopath who parked outside uni halls with telescope and camera to perv on female students undressing is jailed

The Sun

time5 hours ago

  • Entertainment
  • The Sun

Celeb osteopath who parked outside uni halls with telescope and camera to perv on female students undressing is jailed

A CELEB osteopath who parked outside uni halls with a telescope and camera to perv on female students undressing has been jailed. Torben Hersborg wore a balaclava to hide his face and lay in the back of his Lexus to spy on the women in King's Cross, London. 3 The 64-year-old, whose celeb clients included Fearne Cotton and actress Anna Friel, was also spotted crawling around in the vehicle while peeking through the window. He has now been jailed for three years and five months and made the subject of a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). The osteopath has pleaded guilty to three charges of observing a person doing a private act "for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification". Snaresbrook Crown Court heard the offences took place on December 10, 14 and 21 last year. Varinder Hayre, prosecuting, said: "On December 21 at about 9pm, a member of the public reported that a male in a car has been taking photographs and videos of students in university students' accommodation. "The member of the public also said he has seen the male in the car about four years ago." The bystander also called police on December 10 and 14 but officers did not attend, the court heard. Hersborg was caught by police wearing black gloves and had black plastic bags lining the seats. When asked what he was doing, Hersborg claimed he had gone for drinks but felt like he was going to "pass out" on the way home so pulled over. But officers discovered a battery in his pocket and a camera and telescope in his car. Police recovered 68 images and videos that showed a woman in just a T-shirt, a different female sitting in her bedroom and another "seemingly getting dressed". A search was carried out at Hersborg's home and a large quantity of digital devices was seized. He gave no comment in his police interview, except to say he was "sorry for the whole situation". Hersborg is the director of the Central London Osteopathy and Sports Clinic in Old Street. His social media included video of a treatment session with Strictly star Viscountess Emma Weymouth, as well as photos with Oscar-winning actor Mark Rylance and Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood. Hersborg has also worked with Italian Serie A football team Brescia and the Danish Tennis Federation. He has been suspended from practising as an Osteopath by the General Osteopathic Council. Alex Weichselbaum of the Crown Prosecution Service said: "Hersborg operated in plain sight for too long and, having targeted thousands of women over 12 years, we believe the scale and significance of his offending makes him one of London's most prolific voyeurs. "His meticulously planned acts included setting up secret cameras in his clinic and covertly filming women - both in public and when they thought they were in the privacy of their own homes. "Hersborg deliberately abused the trust of his unwitting patients by filming them in intimate positions and targeted strangers for his own sexual gratification. "Women should be free to live their lives without unwanted intrusion – particularly from sexual offenders like Hersborg who deliberately chose to film or photograph them in their most private or intimate moments." 3

U.K. jury finds man who dreamed of being James Bond guilty of attempting to spy for Russia
U.K. jury finds man who dreamed of being James Bond guilty of attempting to spy for Russia

CTV News

timea day ago

  • Politics
  • CTV News

U.K. jury finds man who dreamed of being James Bond guilty of attempting to spy for Russia

The unanimous verdict came after four hours of deliberations. LONDON — A British man who dreamed of being like James Bond was convicted on Tuesday of attempting to spy for Russia. Howard Phillips, 65, sought to pass information about former Defense Secretary Grant Shapps to two men he believed were Russian agents. However, the agents were undercover British intelligence agents. A jury at Winchester Crown Court found Phillips guilty of assisting what he believed to be a foreign intelligence agency. The unanimous verdict came after four hours of deliberations. He was remanded into custody and will be sentenced in the fall. No precise date was set. Prosecutors said Phillips offered to turn over Shapps' contact details as well as the location where he kept his private plane to 'facilitate the Russians in listening on British defense plans.' The defendant's ex-wife told the court that Phillips 'would dream about being like James Bond,' and watched films about the British secret services because he was 'infatuated with it.' Bethan David, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's counterterrorism division, said the conviction sends a clear message to anyone considering spying for Russia. 'Phillips was brazen in his pursuit for financial gain, and unbothered about the potential detriment to his own country,' David said. The Associated Press

James Bond fanatic guilty of trying to spy for Russia
James Bond fanatic guilty of trying to spy for Russia

Times

timea day ago

  • Times

James Bond fanatic guilty of trying to spy for Russia

A former City worker obsessed with James Bond is facing jail after he was found guilty of volunteering to spy for the Russians when he ran out of money in retirement. Howard Phillips, 65, handed over the home address and phone number for Grant Shapps, his local MP and the defence secretary at the time, in an effort to sort out his money worries. However, Phillips, from Harlow, Essex, offered to provide logistical support for Kremlin spies across the world to two undercover officers. Jocelyn Ledward KC, for the prosecution, said Phillips, a retired insolvency practitioner, was 'struggling financially' and seeking 'interesting and exciting work for easy money'. After going into semi-retirement in 2018 and with money running out he began writing letters to famous people in an attempt to arrange meetings that might lead to work.

UK jury finds man who dreamed of being James Bond guilty of attempting to spy for Russia
UK jury finds man who dreamed of being James Bond guilty of attempting to spy for Russia

Associated Press

timea day ago

  • Politics
  • Associated Press

UK jury finds man who dreamed of being James Bond guilty of attempting to spy for Russia

LONDON (AP) — A British man who dreamed of being like James Bond was convicted on Tuesday of attempting to spy for Russia. Howard Phillips, 65, sought to pass information about former Defense Secretary Grant Shapps to two men he believed were Russian agents. However, the agents were undercover British intelligence agents. A jury at Winchester Crown Court found Phillips guilty of assisting what he believed to be a foreign intelligence agency. The unanimous verdict came after four hours of deliberations. He was remanded into custody and will be sentenced in the fall. No precise date was set. Prosecutors said Phillips offered to turn over Shapps' contact details as well as the location where he kept his private plane to 'facilitate the Russians in listening on British defense plans.' The defendant's ex-wife told the court that Phillips 'would dream about being like James Bond,' and watched films about the British secret services because he was 'infatuated with it.' Bethan David, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's counterterrorism division, said the conviction sends a clear message to anyone considering spying for Russia. 'Phillips was brazen in his pursuit for financial gain, and unbothered about the potential detriment to his own country,' David said.

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