Scotland Yard detective appears in court charged with voyeurism and animal pornography charges

A Scotland Yard detective, accused of filming a female colleague in the shower, was allegedly found with animal pornography, a court heard yesterday (Fri).

Detective Sergeant Benjamin McNish, 29, is accused of using his smartphone to record the female officer while she showered in February last year.

The woman allegedly realised she was being filmed when she spotted the iPhone on a shelf facing into the shower room.

When police later seized Mr McNish’s phone and other devices as part of the investigation allegedly discovered a video of a woman having sex with a dog.

Mr McNish, the son of a retired officer, who joined the Metropolitan Police in 2015, was later charged in connection with both alleged offences.

He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, wearing a navy suit and grey shirt and spoke only to confirm his name, address, and nationality as British.

He did not enter an official plea, but his solicitor indicated he would plead not guilty.

Robert Morris, defending the police officer, told District Judge Angus Hamilton his client pleaded not guilty to one charge of observing a person doing a private act for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification knowing that the person did not consent to being observed for your sexual gratification and a second charge of possessing an extreme pornographic image.

Mr McNish indicated he wanted to be put on trial in front of a jury at a Crown Court instead of in front of magistrate’s.

He is next due to appear at Southwark Crown Court on August 14.