A peeping Tom who filmed women as they relieved themselves before the start of the Great North Run was yesterday warned he faces jail.

Christopher Swyer, 29, followed women into secluded bushes near Newcastle's Town Moor and used a digital camcorder concealed in a black carrier bag to secretly film them before the start of last year's race.

He was arrested after the husband of one of his victims caught him in the act and restrained him until police arrived.

Swyer, of Springwell Road, Jarrow, South Tyneside, was found guilty of two counts of voyeurism and one count of attempted voyeurism following a trial by jury at Newcastle Crown Court yesterday.

Afterwards Judge Michael Cartlidge told Swyer to "prepare himself for custody" and said it appeared he had a "sexual perversion for contemplating films of ladies urinating."

Following Swyer's arrest on September 18, police discovered a video tape, which revealed he had already filmed a handful of unsuspecting women relieving themselves at the Green Festival in Leazes Park in May and also on the sand dunes following a concert in South Shields in June.

The jury were shown the 15-minute video, which showed Swyer's recording of up to 30 women with his camcorder, through a hole he had torn in a carrier bag, on three separate occasions.

Tim Gittens, prosecuting, said Swyer had taken advantage of the huge queues for toilets at the start line for the Great North Run caused by the 55,000 in attendance.

He said to him: "You went specifically to video women and women only who were urinating in the bushes. You had gone out looking for these women and had to walk through some quite dense woodland to come up behind them.

"You were well-aware the women had a reasonable expectation of privacy.

"You went around the area trying to record as many woman urinating as you could. Why? Because you wanted to look at half naked women and women urinating. It was turning you on wasn't it? You were getting sexual gratification from it and wanted to watch the footage time and time again."

Swyer admitted making the films to watch at home and acknowledged what he had done was morally wrong, but denied breaking the law.

He said: "I filmed them because it's not something you see everyday. I thought it was funny and I was shocked. I never hid and did not consider the women to be in a private place. I didn't think they had a right to privacy when they were in a public place.

"I went to the Green Festival to enjoy the bands and went to the Great North Run to spot celebrities. Filming women did briefly enter my mind, but I didn't have a masterplan."

But when Mr Gittens asked Swyer how much footage he had taken of the Great North Run or of bands at the Green Festival he admitted he had recorded nothing except women relieving themselves.

Tom Moran, defending, told the court Swyer was "terrified" of going to jail, but admitted his client's behaviour had been "strange, bizarre, stupid and morally wrong".

The court also heard Swyer's web company had collapsed after the police seized two of his computers during their investigation. Although they found nothing it prevented the entrepreneur from continuing his business. Mr Moran told the court Swyer's relationship with his girlfriend had ended two months after his arrest and he now faced public humiliation.

Judge Cartlidge remanded Swyer on bail on the condition he does not enter Newcastle and reports to Mill Bank Police Station in South Shields on the morning of this year's Great North Run on October 1.

The Judge told Swyer: "You appear to completely fail to understand what it is you have done. Prepare yourself for custody."

Swyer is due to be sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court on October 9.

Page 2: Town Moor 'secluded spot' woman breaks down in court