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Congleton man jailed for multiple sexual assaults and exposure offences
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A prolific sex offender who repeatedly filmed himself carrying out indecent acts across Congleton and Macclesfield has been jailed.
Lewis Spencer appeared at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday 14 May where he was sentenced to two years and six months in prison.
The 23-year-old, of Birch Road, Congleton, was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely.
Spencer had previously pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual assault, seven counts of exposure and possession of extreme pornography.
The court heard how on Tuesday 26 December 2023; Spencer was due to start his first shift at a fast-food establishment in Macclesfield.
The victim, a 21-year-old woman, also worked at the store. She began taking a stock count at around 5.40pm that day when she noticed Spencer standing close behind her.
The victim had a feeling that Spencer was recording her, but she continued working, assuming it was nothing. She then felt Spencer touch her with something.
She turned around but Spencer apologised and put his phone away.
After their shift ended, the victim told her manager about the incident and how it had made her feel uncomfortable.
The manager checked a CCTV camera in the store which revealed Spencer had been carrying out a sexual act behind the victim, without her knowledge.
During the incident he touched her with his penis while he recorded himself on his mobile phone.
The incident was immediately reported to police and Spencer was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault at his home address on Thursday 28 December 2023.
Following examination of his mobile phone, which was seized upon arrest, officers discovered 17 videos of Spencer committing similar sexual offences against a number of women between Sunday 10 December 2023 and Tuesday 26 December 2023.
All of the videos depicted Spencer carrying out sexual acts near to or behind women of various ages, all of whom appear to be unaware of what he was doing.
Following enquiries, officers identified two women from the videos that had previously worked with Spencer.
Extreme pornography was also recovered from his phone.
He was subsequently charged with four counts of sexual assault, seven accounts of exposure, and one count of extreme pornography.
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Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Robert Lees said: "Spencer is an incredibly dangerous and perverse individual who preyed on innocent and unwitting women who were simply going about their daily lives.
"He was surreptitious in his actions, with his victims having no idea of the depraved acts he was carrying out.
"Despite all of the work undertaken by our officers to find and contact the women, some of them were unidentifiable from the videos and may not even be aware they were victims.
"His behaviour is completely unacceptable, and I'm glad he's being held accountable for his actions behind bars, where he can no longer pose a threat to women.
"Putting an end to violence against women and girls remains a top priority for the force, and we will continue to remove sexual predators like Spencer from our county and ensure they see justice.
“We treat all allegations of sexual offences extremely seriously, and any allegation will be thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority.
“Victims should never feel ashamed to talk about what they have been subjected to. They will receive the help and support they need from our specialist officers, as well as from other support agencies we work alongside, and all victims of sexual offences have the right to anonymity.”
To report any sexual offence, call Cheshire Constabulary on 101 or visit the website.