Man convicted after being caught on CCTV upskirting girl in shopping centre

A man has pleaded guilty to filming beneath a young girl's skirt in a shopping centre before running off and later being tracked down on CCTV.

Alex Allegretto, 39, admitted the offence of operating a mobile phone beneath the clothing of another person for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification.

Police were called to St David's 2 shopping centre on the morning of 7 July after a mother reported Allegretto, who was unknown to them, for upskirting her daughter.

He was caught on CCTV heading back to his car and was later arrested for voyeurism at his home in Maesteg, in Bridgend County Borough.

Allegretto was sentenced at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on 5 August.

The CCTV footage shows Allegretto sat on a bench before quickly walking up behind the victim and her mum in the busy shopping centre and putting his phone by her legs before running away.

Sgt Luis Antony, from South Wales Police, said the victim had continued to be impacted by the incident.

"She is worried about people walking behind her and is anxious when out and about," he added.

Antony said that "nobody should be subjected to this kind of offence".

"The footage clearly shows Alex Allegretto's intentions and what he did to this young girl while she was innocently out shopping with her mother," he added.

"We hope the outcome at court provides some comfort to her and allows her to rebuild her confidence."

The court heard that Allegretto must be registered with the police in accordance with the Sexual Offences Act 2003 for five years.

He must also do 140 hours of unpaid work, complete rehabilitation activity requirements and pay a financial penalty of £199.