A father-of-two who filmed unsuspecting women through their windows in the middle of the night while dressed in black has pleaded guilty to 19 counts of voyeurism.
Anthony Durkan, 35, carried out “predatory behaviour” by deliberately targeting women without their consent and without their knowledge that they were being filmed, while they were in the privacy of their own homes between January 2020 and March 2026.
Footage released by the Metropolitan Police shows Durkan approaching properties in Islington, standing on tiptoes to peer through windows and using his phone to record inside.
Police bodycam footage also captured his arrest by Metropolitan Police officers, who identified and detained him during a proactive patrol in the area.
Guilty plea and additional offences
Durkan pleaded guilty to 19 counts of voyeurism at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. He also pleaded guilty to seven further incidents of voyeurism in March, bringing the total number of offences to 26.
During a police interview, officers discovered a hidden folder on Durkan’s phone containing 162 videos and 99 photographs, almost all of which showed unaware women being filmed.
Investigation and arrest
Detectives launched an investigation after two women reported voyeurism offences in north London.
In January 2026, a woman reported that an unknown man had repeatedly attended her Islington home in the early hours and filmed through her windows. Her neighbour had alerted her after seeing a man dressed in black and wearing a balaclava approach the property, hold his phone up to the windows and appear to record inside. The incidents were captured on the neighbour’s doorbell camera.
In March 2026, officers were called to another Islington address after a woman reported seeing a man filming her through her window. She confronted the suspect, who immediately fled. The incident was captured on security footage.
Officers reviewing the footage identified similarities between the incidents, including the suspect wearing the same clothing, targeting homes in the early hours and operating in locations close to one another.
Police increased targeted patrols in the area and on the first night of the activity, Wednesday, March 25, officers in an unmarked police car spotted a man matching the suspect’s description.
A plain-clothed officer observed the suspect approach an address and carry out the same pattern of behaviour captured in earlier evidence. He was arrested moments later and identified as Anthony Durkan.
Police statement
Detective Chief Inspector Gemma Alger, whose team led the investigation, said: “Durkan’s offending represented a serious and sustained course of predatory behaviour, deliberately targeting women who were entirely unaware they were being filmed, without their consent and in the privacy of their own homes.
“I want to thank the women who had the courage to come forward and report Durkan’s crimes. Their reports, supported by witnesses and swift investigative work, enabled officers to act decisively and arrest Durkan during a proactive patrol.
“This conviction reflects the severity of these crimes and means a dangerous individual has been removed from the streets of London, preventing further harm to women.”
Durkan will be sentenced at a later date at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
