A post office official has been sacked and ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register after he took a covert picture of a semi-naked woman while they were reclining on sunbeds at a tanning salon.
Alexander Tanswell, 40, from Cheshire, snapped an illicit image of the woman wearing only a black lacy thong while they were in separate private cubicles next to each other. The victim, who cannot be named, remained unaware she had been photographed until Tanswell was quizzed by police two months later over a different matter.
Image found on phone
Officers found the image on his phone and traced it to the Indigo Sun salon in Chester, where both Tanswell and the woman were clients. She later said she was left feeling 'violated' by the intrusion on her privacy.
In a statement, the victim said: "Since discovering this total stranger took a photo of me in a private area without consent, I have experienced a significant increase in anxiety.
"I have always struggled with anxiety - but learning that someone has done this to me increased it considerably.
"I am constantly worrying about what could happen to me. Though I am aware that bad things can occur in life, this has reinforced those fears.
"It has made it clear to me that I cannot trust others, even someone unknown to me can violate my privacy.
"I am constantly on edge, anticipating something similar happening again. I am increasingly paranoid when clothes shopping or using changing rooms.
"I am constantly checking to make sure the area is safe. I frequently scan the environment for hidden cameras, anything that can put me in a vulnerable position.
"I am making efforts to not allow this incident to completely disrupt my life but I now feel far more anxious than I used to, less trustful in men in general. No-one should be made to feel like I do because of this violation."
Court sentencing
At Chester Magistrates' Court, Tanswell, who lives in Callender Way in the village of Helsby, near Frodsham, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to one charge of voyeurism and was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work. He must attend 20 days of rehabilitation activity, pay £199 in costs and a surcharge, and sign the Sex Offenders' register for five years.
The court heard that since his arrest Tanswell had been fired and had split up with his partner of 12 years. He was currently living with his mother.
Tanswell had been quizzed in December 2025 over an undisclosed incident and police seized his phone for examination.
Nathan Cooper, prosecuting, said: "In the course of the download, an image was identified from October 27 showing a pair of legs with the individual being a woman wearing a black laced thong.
"As a result of that officers attended the Indigo Salon and confirmed that on October 27 he was at the tanning salon at the same time as the picture was taken.
"He used cubicle number 7 and the staff at Indigo Sun provided details of the individual using the cubicle next to number 7.
"When officers made enquiries the complainant attended a police station and confirmed she had attended Indigo Sun and used the sun bed at that time.
"An image was shown to her and she said she was the person in the photo and the underwear was an item of clothing she owns."
Defence and impact
Tanswell had no previous convictions. His barrister, Richard Thomas, said: "It is fair to say the ramifications for his behaviour are drastic and dramatic.
"He lost his job with the post office he worked with for his entire working life and lost a relationship with his partner of 12 years. He is living back with his mother.
"He says that this was a one-off spur of the moment piece of behaviour that he engaged in and that is borne out with what police found on his phone. There was one image which had been deleted.
"He is not someone going out on a number of different occasions and behaving in this way all the time."
Mr Thomas added: "He does not quite fully understand why he behaved in this way. It is incredibly embarrassing for him to be before the court.
"He has expressed genuine remorse and has understanding of the impact on the victim as well. His mental health has deteriorated as a result of what has happened to him."
Sentencing Tanswell, District Judge Ian Barnes told him: "You effectively took advantage of a situation where you thought it would be easy to effectively spy on a person.
"This vile invasion of an unsuspecting person's privacy, had a significant impact on the victim, all because of your own selfish needs, your own sexual gratification.
"I note that your life has been impacted as a result of this offending - but perhaps this are understandable knowing the offence you have committed. That is a result of your own conduct."
