A PERVERT who said he saw nothing wrong in covertly filming a young girl has been sentenced to 21 months in jail.

John Bartram, 61, retired, of Furnace Way, Uckfield, pictured, appeared at Lewes Crown Court on Tuesday.

He had previously pleaded guilty to seven counts; three of making indecent images of children, three of voyeurism and one of taking indecent images of children.

In addition to the custodial sentence he was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years, severely restricting his access to children and computers.

He will also be a registered sex offender for ten years.

Detective Constable Martin Harmer of the Sussex Police Paedophile On-Line Investigation Team (POLIT), who investigated the case, said: “We went to Bartram’s address and arrested him in November 2015, following intelligence that he was making indecent images of children available on-line.

“The examination also found that he had been covertly taking indecent images and videos of four people known to him, including a teenage girl.

“Bartram refused to acknowledge the harm of his covert recordings and tried to blame the police for hurting those victims by tracing them and disclosing the facts to them, which we have an obvious responsibility to do.”

The detective added: “These were serious offences and those who are minded to engage in this type of activity should be aware that we actively look for them and that there will be legal consequences.”

In sentencing, Judge Christine Laing said: “This was a gross abuse of trust, particularly with regards to the vulnerable child. You have failed to understand the breach of trust and blamed the police for disclosing to them.”