A food delivery worker flashed women and filmed under the skirts of others while working. He was found to have filmed a 28-second up skirt video of a woman on the escalator of a shopping mall.
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Vile and Inappropriate
The married man, Italo Souza, targeted his victim at Westfield, Shepherd’s Bush on July 8. Less than two weeks later, he stopped to expose himself to three in between deliveries from Pasta Evangelists and the Co-op in West Hampstead.
Later in the day, he found two other targets at a KFC fast-food restaurant in Edgeware Road and at a Moohoo bubble tea in Camden, again filming under their dresses.
Prosecutor Gillian Travers described Souza’s behaviour as ‘vile’ and an invasion of the privacy of the women he targeted. She told the Wood Green Crown Court:
Italo Souza exposed himself to three lone women in broad daylight making them feel vulnerable, scared and uncomfortable. One victim described seeing Souza holding his camera phone in one hand while exposing himself and smirking at her, adding to her distress. He also filmed three different women under their clothing without their consent in public places, including at a KFC and below an ascending escalator in Westfield shopping centre.
Souza, 22, from Brent, northwest London, was sentenced to an 18-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work to be completed. He also has to take a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
He had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of exposure and three counts of voyeurism.
Safe Streets for Women
Travers told the court, persons who engage in such voyeuristic activities ought to be apprehended.
It is important that those who behave in this way know they will be prosecuted. Exposure and voyeurism may indicate a propensity to commit more serious sexual offences.
Deliveroo confirmed the driver was fired with immediate effect and said that the company supported the police with their investigation in July.
Travers said, people like Souza threaten the safety of women in public:
This is illegal and a grave invasion of privacy. We as the CPS want women to know they can be confident we are robust in stopping these perpetrators in their tracks.
Up skirting was made a criminal offence in 2019 and offenders face up to two years in prison, with most serious ones put on the sex offenders register.
