A Norfolk voyeur who lurked behind women as they bent over the freezer counters in his local Lidl supermarket and used a hidden camera to film up their skirts, has been spared jail as magistrates heard of his remorse.

James Webster took photos up women's skirts as his victims leaned over the display cabinets in the aisles of the budget supermarket, looking for bargains.

The 35-year-old was caught out when other shoppers became suspicious after spotting him moving the bag he was carrying so that he could get a clearer up-skirt view.

Webster hanged his head in shame as he appeared before magistrates on Tuesday afternoon after previously admitting one count of outraging public decency by covertly filming up women's skirts in January.

Presiding magistrate Mark Lovett said the moment women had been filmed in the Lidl store in Maidenhead, Berkshire, was 'distressing.'

'The particular people involved did not realise they were involved but nonetheless it is distressing,' he said.

'It's a distressing moment. It is not something that people going about their lawful business should expect.'

The court heard that an upset shopper alerted management who found the 35-year-old, who sports long dreadlocks with beads weaved through them, positioning his hidden camera underneath another woman's skirt as she leaned over a freezer.

Webster had cut a hole in the bag through which he placed the lens of a camera so he could covertly film between women's legs.

Prosecuting, Helen Gambrill told magistrates in Slough, Berkshire, that an upset shopper had noticed the dreadlocked voyeur and raised the alarm.

'On January 12 the defendant was in Lidl in Maidenhead and outraged the public decency, namely filming up the skirts of women in that store.

'That offence came to light when a member of the public saw the defendant and thought he was acting in a strange way.'

Webster was seen crouching down and moving a bag under a girl's skirt, while his victim remained oblivious.

The shocked shopper then spotted a lens protruding out of the satchel Webster was holding and reported him to the shop's manager, who arrived to see the pervert trying to slide the spy camera bag under the skirt of another woman leaning over in the freezer section.

Webster, who at the time was living in shared accommodation in White Waltham, near Maidenhead, was confronted by security guards and tried to cover the lens before denying any wrong-doing.

However, after seeing an appeal for witnesses to the crime in a local newspaper Webster, who has since moved back home to live with his mother in Norfolk, turned himself in to police.

East Berkshire Magistrates' Court heard how he had immediately shown remorse, telling a police officer, 'I threw the camera away in frustration on the day I did this.'

He accepted he had probably filmed the women's crotches for a kind of sexual purpose but said he had no idea why he had done it.

Francis Domingo, defending, said Webster had been struggling to deal with a break-up at the time and was incredibly ashamed at his actions.

'From the moment I've seen him, I can tell you this - Mr Webster has expressed nothing but sincere remorse over what took place,' he said.

'The feeling of wanting to put the record straight, wanting to admit the offence at the first opportunity, is a strand that carries on.

'He is very, very ashamed of his actions. He knows full well he shouldn't have done what he has done.'

Mr Domingo said his client realised his actions would be considered lewd, obscene and disgusting and the women involved would be highly upset and embarrassed

Webster, now of Fengate, Marsham, near Aylsham, had been smoking cannabis around the time of the incident, but was now clean.

Several friends had also written references vouching for the dreadlocked voyeur's character and Mr Domingo said as his client left the store he threw the camera away in disgust at himself.

'As soon as it happened he said to himself 'Oh my God, what am I doing?' and threw the camera away in disgust,' he added.

'He clearly has a conscience. He listened to his conscience and surrendered himself.'

Sentencing him to a community level punishment recommended in a pre-sentence report put together by the probation service, Presiding magistrate Mark Lovett said: 'We note the early guilty plea and the fact that you were very upfront about it from the very beginning.

'You were remorseful for your actions.

'On the other hand, you did show obvious intention - you went equipped. This was hardly accidental.

'But the person who reported it was not the person who was involved in that specific way.

'The other point I have to make is that you're not 18, you're 35, for goodness sake.

'That kind of action from someone of your mature years is quite extraordinary.'

Webster was handed a three year community order with supervision throughout and was ordered to take part in a sexual offences treatment programme.

He was not placed on the sex offending register because his charge of outraging public decency did not qualify, but was ordered to pay £85 in costs and a £60 fine.