Paul Williams, 60, spied on three couples through holes he drilled in room doors at Scarborough guesthouse

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

A bed and breakfast owner who spied on his guests through secret peepholes and made audio recordings of their intimate moments has been jailed for 18 weeks.

Paul Williams watched three couple from holes he had drilled in the doors of rooms at his Sandsea B&B in Scarborough, north Yorkshire.

The 60-year-old was discovered when one of his victims, a 16-year-old student, saw movement underneath a poster on the door.

Her boyfriend investigated and found a hole that provided a view directly on to the bed. He then heard movement in the corridor outside, and discovered Williams.

Williams pleaded guilty to charges of voyeurism and was sentenced at Scarborough magistrates court on Monday.

Magistrate Kate Warnock-Smith said the offences were so serious that only a custodial sentence could be justified, adding that the aggravating factors were his breach of trust as a hotelier and the young age of some of the victims.

She told the court the victims – who had friends and relatives in the court's public gallery – had been left distressed by their ordeal.

An earlier hearing was told the three couples were friends and, when the others were told, they found similar hidden peepholes in their rooms.

As the guests had been drinking and could not drive home, they stayed at the guesthouse but moved in to one room. The following morning, they obtained a refund and called police. Audio recording equipment was then also discovered at the guesthouse.

Guests were "sickened and horrified" when they discovered what had happened, the court heard.

Williams said he had made the peepholes because some guests had left without paying.