A father of eight who used concealed mirrors and a mobile phone to spy on naked children in a leisure centre in Co Donegal has pleaded guilty at Letterkenny Circuit Court to masturbating in a public place.
The offence, which happened at Aura Leisure Centre on November 21st, 2017, came to light after the man was caught spying on a number of children by a father of two.
Louis Nugent (67). with an address at Killyclug, Letterkenny, also pleaded guilty to three counts of intentionally engaging in offensive behaviour of a sexual nature at the Letterkenny leisure centre on November 15th and November 21st, 2017, as well as to another count of the same offence on November 22nd, 2017.
A former carpenter and taxi-driver, his crimes were uncovered when two girls, aged 12 and 14, refused to go to swimming lessons at the leisure centre after the younger girl noticed his mobile phone beneath a partition in an adjoining changing cubicle.
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Detective Garda Stephen Moyles said the girl believed she and her sister were being recorded and saw a man lying on the floor in the next cubicle. The other girl, who climbed on to the seat, told how a man was “hunched over and flicking through his phone”.
The girls did not initially tell their parents but told their father after he asked them why they would not go swimming the following week. Instead of confronting Nugent, the girls’ father decided to monitor him from a communal changing area.
The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the girls, saw Nugent remove clothing from a cubicle next to one where a mother and a girl aged about six were changing.
He then saw Nugent lying sideways on the floor with a mobile phone in one hand and a circular mirror in the other.
Nugent was observed concealing the phone and mirror with a towel. He was then seen placing two mirrors and two phones in a locker and returning to the pool area.
The man saw Nugent smile at another young girl, estimated to be six or seven years of age. The young girl went to a shower cubicle with the door opened.
Detective Garda Moyles said the witness then observed Nugent engage in “an act clearly described as masturbation”.
He was also seen by the man lying on the floor of a cubicle masturbating while filming another young girl showering. The witness saw Nugent remove a mirror which was concealed behind a toilet bowl.
At this point he confronted Nugent and escorted him off the premises. He said Nugent whispered to him: “You’ll never f***ing catch me.”
The man informed staff and gardaí who viewed CCTV footage and identified the accused. A search of the building revealed a number of mirrors allegedly hidden by Nugent in other parts of the changing rooms.
Before he could be arrested, Nugent travelled to Scotland but was later arrested and brought back to Ireland on a European Arrest Warrant. He has been in Castlerea Prison on these charges since October 7th, 2021.
His barrister, Sean McGee, said his client could not explain why he carried out such acts, saying he had no previous convictions. He said that Nugent has lost his marriage and has limited contact with any of his children. The only place he can seek shelter is his mother’s home in Glasgow, he said.
“He has been completely isolated since,” Mr McGee said. “He is not in a position to offer an explanation other than this was something that he fell into. He is at a loss to offer an explanation. He simply doesn’t understand why he fell into this type of behaviour.”
Mr McGee said Nugent wished to apologise to his victims.
Judge John Aylmer remanded him in custody until next Wednesday, November 2nd, when he will be sentenced.