A serving Met Police sergeant who used his iPhone to spy on a woman in the shower has been spared jail.
Detective Sergeant Benjamin McNish, 30, tried to film his victim on his phone while she showered, but was caught when she spotted the device peering over the door.
He had used his phone to film through a glass panel above the bathroom door while staying in police accommodation for a course in Camden.
The woman became worried someone was taking pictures and managed to grab a towel and rush out of the bathroom to confront the voyeur.
McNish had been in the shower just before the victim in February 2019, a court heard.
He claimed he had been using the phone to find his razor because he was short-sighted, and said he had forgotten to shave before a work drinks function.
McNish was subsequently arrested and suspended from the force pending misconduct proceedings.
After a trial at Southwark Crown Court, a jury convicted McNish of one count voyeurism last month.
Today at the same court, he was sentenced to 20-weeks’ imprisonment, but suspended for two years.
McNish will be put on the sex offender’s register for seven years and he was also ordered to do a sexual offenders’ programme, attend rehabilitation, and pay £750 in costs.
Detective Chief Superintendent Stephen Clayman of the Met Police, who is in charge of the East Area Command Unit, branded McNish's behaviour "unacceptable".
He said: “I would like to reiterate that this sort of behaviour is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
“It is right that DS McNish has been held to account for his actions as a result of this investigation.
“Although the offence was committed whilst off-duty, he will now face MPS misconduct proceedings. Consideration will be given to accelerating these proceedings.”
McNish, of Benfleet, Essex, has been suspended from duty since his arrest and following his conviction, misconduct proceedings will now take place, Scotland Yard said.
Andrew Levin, from the CPS, said after the verdict: “Benjamin McNish was a serving policeman who observed a woman showering without her consent for his own sexual gratification.
“This was a private act that McNish had no right to observe. He violated the victim’s privacy by spying on her in a bathroom. His actions were clearly illegal and wholly unacceptable.
“During the trial McNish claimed that he had just been using his phone to look for his razor by the sink, but the prosecution was able to prove to the jury that this was an absurd lie.”
