Lanark pool photo lifeguard escapes jail term

Appearing for deferred sentence was David Boag, 26, who was an employee at the Lanark Lifestyles Centre in July last year when a woman swimmer noticed a mobile phone camera being poked under her cubicle’s door with the lens pointed upward.

She instantly covered herself with a towel before pulling the door open to see Boag crouching outside it.

He immediately made off. The woman reported the incident to a swimming instructor and later inspection of the council-run centre’s CCTV camera footage and door entry records showed that Boag, from Larkhall, had used a route through the building’s service areas to get to its central office where he was seen to arrive out of breath.

He initially denied the offence but was found guilty after trial and was first due to be sentenced a month ago.

However, at that time, in a rare move Sheriff Nikola Stewart threw out a social work background report on him as insufficient.

Sheriff Stewart described it as a “box-ticking exercise” and wanted a better assessment of the risks of Boag re-offending.

Boag returned for sentence on Thursday, with the new report prepared.

Sheriff Stewart placed him on the Sex Offender Register for a period of three years.

She also placed him on a supervised Community Payback Order for three years and ordered that Boag carry out 200 hours of unpaid work for the community.