A photography student secretly filmed a woman with his mobile phone as she tried on underwear in a shop's changing room.

The woman was in a closed cubicle at Carlisle's Kingstown branch of the Asda superstore on April 7 when she looked up and saw a phone pointing at her from above the partition wall.

At the city's magistrates' court, Daniel Burns, 21, of Abbotsford Drive, off Kingstown Road, pleaded guilty to an offence of observing a person doing a private act for sexual gratification.

He was put on the Sex Offenders' Register for five years.

Burns is studying photography at Lakes College, Lillyhall, the court heard.

Pam Ward, prosecuting, described how the victim had been trying on a bra from the shop in the store's changing rooms just after 7.30pm when she heard a noise from the neighbouring cubicle.

“She looked up and saw a phone, which then disappeared,” said Mrs Ward.

But when she noticed the phone a second time, she said: "What do you think you're doing?"

She alerted shop staff.

In her victim personal statement, the woman said what happened had left her feeling paranoid.

At home, she had become focused on making sure her doors and windows were locked.

“I'm afraid that he's going to turn up and try to video me again,” she said.

“When I'm in the house and getting changed, for the first few days following this I got changed in the bathroom. Now I get changed in the bedroom, making sure the curtains and blinds are closed.

“It's really affected me. I have nightmares.” She added that she wanted to thank the staff at Asda for their support.

Rachel Dixon, for Burns, said he lived at home with his parents and two sisters and was studying photography and hoped to begin a university course at the end of the year.

Miss Dixon said: “He was seeing a therapist to deal with the issues he raised in his police interview but the therapist was made redundant and he feels it's had a direct effect on his behaviour that day.

“Since this, he has tried to get another therapist but he's on a waiting list. He's tried to take steps to prevent this happening again.”

Having read the victim impact statement, he felt disgusted with himself and sorry for the victim.

District Judge Gerald Chalk told Burns: “You're a young man of previous good character but this was extremely serious and grossly offensive to the lady concerned, and to anybody who thinks about it.”

As well as putting Burns on the Sex Offenders' Register, the judge imposed a ten week 8pm to 6am curfew, and a 12 month community order with a 20 day rehabiliation requirement.

He also imposed costs and a victim surcharge totaling £170. The judge ruled that the defendant's phone should not be returned to him.