A man who hid his phone in hair salon toilets to secretly record women has avoided prison. 

Nathan Lam, 26, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court for sentencing on Thursday (November 14) after he pleaded guilty to voyeurism. 

Prosecutor Malacy Pakenham explained that Lam worked at a hair salon with several branches across central London. 

On three occasions between August and September his phone was discovered under the sink in their public lavatories, with the camera pointed towards the toilet. 

One woman who had used the toilet said: “This incident made me feel very uncomfortable, on edge and violated.” 

Another said: “I feel unsafe and violated as I could have been recorded and images of me could be on the internet.” 

On September 4 Lam was arrested at his home on Allendale Close in Camberwell and police discovered three phones. 

Lam admitted to police that he had placed phones in the lavatories. 

But he told officers it was a cry for help as he needed mental health support and felt going to prison was the only way to get it. 

Lam, who has no previous convictions, has been diagnosed with a number of mental health issues, although a report found that these issues did not have a direct impact on his offending. 

District Judge Briony Clarke told Lam that he had committed a very serious offence. 

She sentenced him to an 18-month community order including 45 days of rehabiliation activity and 200 hours of unpaid work.