Prolific upskirter jailed thanks to eagle-eyed officers

A sex offender who filmed upskirting videos of more than 20 victims during one evening in Soho has been jailed.

James Manchand was spotted by officers on Friday, 16 January repeatedly pacing along queues outside busy West End venues.

The plain-clothed officers initially suspected he was scouting for potential thefts and began to monitor him more closely.

Uniformed officers stepped in to conduct a search when Manchand continued to hover around groups of young women.

After providing his details, police checks revealed that Manchand was a known offender with an active Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for a previous voyeurism offence. Under the order, he was required to hand over his phone and unlock it for inspection.

On opening the device, officers immediately discovered 29 videos involving more than 20 victims - all filmed that same evening in Soho. He was arrested at the scene.

At Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 10 April, Manchand, 62 (04.11.63), of Phoenix Street, Camden, was sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment, and was ordered to forfeit a laptop and mobile phone.

He was also sentenced for a breach of his SHPO in December. Manchand was stopped by Met officers during a Live Facial Recognition Operation on Tottenham Court Road who found him to be using Virtual Private Network software allowing him to erase cookies and browsing history - both explicitly prohibited under his SHPO.

Detective Constable Sam Pearson, who led the investigation, said:

“Manchand’s predatory behaviour was calculated, persistent and showed a complete disregard for the women he targeted.

“Thanks to the vigilance and quick instincts of officers on patrol, we were able to intervene before he could continue offending and recover clear evidence that he had committed multiple voyeurism offences in a single evening.

“No one should have to worry about being violated in this way while simply enjoying a night out. We will continue to act swiftly and decisively against anyone who poses a threat to women and girls.”

The officers who caught Manchand were deployed under Operation Martello, which targets theft and pickpocketing hotspots across the West End. As part of the Met’s commitment to tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), officers also proactively identify predatory behaviour in the night‑time economy.

The Met continues to prioritise the safety of women and girls and is relentlessly targeting sexual offenders to secure justice for victims. To date, 23,000 officers and staff have received new, bespoke VAWG training, strengthening investigative skills and improving support for victims.

Commander Clair Kelland, the Met’s public protection lead, said:

“Voyeurism can take many forms, but at its core it is a blatant intrusion into someone’s privacy, often carried out in crowded or busy places where victims may not immediately realise what has happened.

“There is absolutely no excuse for this behaviour. Whether motivated by sexual gratification or a desire to cause humiliation, distress or alarm, voyeurism is always deeply unsettling for those targeted.

“We also want to encourage bystanders to look out for one another. If you see someone behaving in a way that feels predatory or attempting to film under clothing, please report it to officers or venue staff straight away. Your quick action could prevent someone from being targeted.”

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Manchand was charged on 17 January with:

• Recording an image under clothing to observe another without consent in relation to the Soho offences.
• Two counts of breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order on 10 December 2025.

The breakdown of Manchand’s sentence is as follows:

• 12 months’ imprisonment for each of two breaches of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, to run concurrently.

• Four months’ imprisonment for recording images under clothing, to run consecutively.

• A further four months’ imprisonment which formed part of a previously suspended sentence, was also activated by the court to run consecutively.