Woman describes moment she discovered landlord had been recording her on hidden cameras for months
A woman who was secretly spied on by her landlord has spoken out about the ordeal, revealing the harrowing moment she discovered the cameras.
In September 2024, Tory councillor Robert Holden was jailed for six years and two months for 31 counts of voyeurism and seven of computer misuse by Bradford Crown Court.
Holden, who'd previously served as a councillor for Ryburn on Calderdale Council as well as owning a local computer shop, had been found guilty of secretly filming victims over a 14-year-period via several hidden cameras across a home he rented out. He computer misuse offences involved an additional seven victims.
Five years on from Holden's crimes being uncovered and one of his victims has now come forward in a new Channel 5 documentary.
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Titled Peeping Tom: The Landlord & His Secret Cameras, the documentary reveals how one of his tenants was able to end his 14 years of voyeurism after noticing an alarm sensor in her bathroom.
Unable to shake the feeling that she was being watched from the day she moved in, 27-year-old Heidi Marney would raise the alarm after uncovering covert recording devices dotted around places such as the home's bathroom, bedroom and living areas.
Recalling the moment she uncovered Holden's true nature in a new interview with The Sun, Marney revealed that she'd been left feeling completely 'sick' by the truth about the man she'd originally believed was helping her.
"I just absolutely froze," she recalled, adding: "Although I had been building up to believing this could be real, actually being faced with that it was real made me feel physically sick.
"I barricaded myself in my room for about two hours."
The sickening discovery left Marney unsure about her next move and fearing the backlash she'd face from the local community if she reported Holden to the police.
"The nicest man who will ever meet, who spends Christmas Day getting people their Christmas dinners, who mows old people’s lawns. Am I really going to get him arrested," she said.
"I knew the aftermath of this would be horrendous."
Holden would ultimately be arrested after Marney's aunt tipped off local police in 2020, prompting her to uncover whether or not she was the only victim.
It would later be revealed that Holden had preyed on a total of 29 victims, which included 27 women, one man and one child, footage captured reportedly showed the victims undressing, showering and having sex.
Holden was originally scheduled to appear in court in 2022 but fled to Cape Verde, after 17 months he was finally extradited and faced justice for his actions.
Marney, who waived her right to anonymity to appear in the Channel 5 series, has since urged others to 'gut feeling' if they suspect something isn't right.
"I didn’t think that I could be groomed and nor did any of the other women. Adult grooming is a thing and it isn’t what you expect," she added.
Peeping Tom: The Landlord and His Secret Cameras is available to stream on 5.
Brenna Cooper