A convicted voyeur has left one of his victims feeling let down by the justice system following what she deemed to be an inadequate sentence. Christopher McSherry, 35, was found guilty of six voyeurism charges and one charge of unauthorised computer access. The court sentenced him to 100 hours of community service, 18 months probation, and a sex offences prevention order. Catherine McSherry, his estranged step-sister, was a victim of his crime, which included taking private photos of her and several other women in their homes.
“The case got minimised slowly over time, it seemed, and over time it just got smaller and smaller,” said Catherine. She was disappointed that the case was not taken to the crown court and felt a custodial sentence was necessary. “The damage that it’s done, I can’t even begin to explain it really,” she added. “I’m very conscious of cameras, everywhere. I don’t know what I’m afraid of because I’m just existing, but it’s just so sinister. How do I know it’s not going to happen again?”
McSherry worked as a wedding photographer and was also ordered not to own or operate any device with a camera for five years. The judge who sentenced him said it was one of the worst cases of voyeurism ever seen by the court. Despite this, Catherine felt the perpetrator’s actions were not adequately addressed.
Questions have been raised over how the case was handled by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS). District Judge Bernie Kelly suggested that a female prosecutor should look at the case, saying “It’s the sheer number of different individuals, and this went on for many years.” The PPS maintains that the ‘magistrates’ court was the appropriate venue and that the court had sufficient sentencing powers to reflect the nature of the offences and their distressing impact on the victims.
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