Paedo trainer took ‘over one million’ upskirt pics of scholars with creepy ‘spy pens’
Matthew Gilkes took more than a million upskirt images of pupils using secret cameras hidden in pens and was only caught after he was spotted taking photos of children in cubicles at a leisure centre
Former teacher, Mathew Gilkes, 47, has been jailed for 16 years plus an additional five-year licence(Image: Lancashire Police)
A former secondary school teacher has been locked up after he captured more than a million upskirt photographs of students using covert cameras concealed in pens.
The extensive offending by Matthew Gilkes, 47, was exposed after he was caught photographing children beneath cubicles at a leisure facility in Chorley, Lancashire, in August 2024. He was detained after his car was tracked leaving the car park, Lancashire Police confirmed.
A raid of his residence and employment revealed over 80 gadgets, including a school-issued laptop, alongside spy pens, portable cameras and memory cards storing countless indecent photographs of minors. Numerous photographs Gilkes had captured featured students from his school.
It was also uncovered that he created bogus social media profiles to masquerade as a teenage lad to groom and manipulate girls into sending indecent photographs and footage of themselves.
On Friday, Gilkes, who taught at a secondary school in Greater Manchester, was sentenced at Preston Crown Court to 16 years behind bars and told he must complete an additional five years on licence.
He admitted guilt at a previous hearing to multiple charges including operating equipment beneath clothing without consent, engaging in sexual communication with a child and possessing indecent images of children.
Gilkes, previously of Harrison Road, Chorley, was also handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
After the sentencing, Detective Constable Holly McClave stated: “Matthew Gilkes is a highly dangerous man who has shown persistent, predatory behaviour towards young girls who he has taken advantage of, groomed and exploited for his own sexual gratification.
“The victims in this case have shown incredible bravery in speaking about what happened to them and I commend them for their courage. I hope this sentence gives them some sense that justice has been done.”
Stacey Gosling, senior crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “He gave no thought to the lasting damage his abuse would have on young victims and, when caught by police, was found to have a staggering number of indecent images showing his depraved offending knew no limits.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
