Offender Anthony Durkan is caught on camera

CAMPAIGNERS have called on the public to actively intervene and report instances of sexual harassment after a man was convicted of a string of voyeurism offences.

Shocking footage of Anthony Durkan searching for windows to look through was released by the police this week, as the 35-year-old pleaded guilty to 26 charges. Detectives found he had been covertly filming women for five years before being caught in the act in March.

Two women reported incidents in Islington to police earlier this year, leading to the investigation which eventually stopped him in his tracks.

Using doorcam footage from the neighbour of one of his victims, police traced Mr Durkan, a father of two.

Multiple mobile and camera devices were seized from his home, uncovering years of incriminating video footage and photography which linked him to several offences.

Jo Lovett, a researcher into sexual abuse and crimes at the London Metropolitan University, said that there had been a large increase in recorded “Non-Contact Sexual Offences” (NCSOs) such as voyeurism and exposure in recent years.

“These crimes are really unnerving and unsettling for the victims,” she said.

Footage released by the Met of Anthony Durkan filming through a window of a woman’s home and being interviewed by police

“Can you imagine how it feels for somebody to invade your personal space and film you in an intimate setting without your consent?”

The Metropolitan Police are now working to identify more potential victims in Islington, and are appealing to anybody who may have noticed suspicious activity outside their homes late at night.

Forms of public voyeurism have emerged on social media, with anonymous accounts sharing footage of women on nights out. There have been cases where men have been challenged when seen taking photos of them on public transport.

Often, Ms Lovett said, many victims are unaware that a crime has even taken place, adding: “Technological devices are definitely used as a tool to facilitate these kind of crimes, and enable the perpetrators to then store the footage.

“I think it’s really important that everybody takes these crimes really seriously. If you see it happening, on public transport or elsewhere, report it to the authorities.

“If a friend or family member tells you they’re a victim of a crime like this, don’t minimise or undermine it.

“And, if it happens to you, have faith that this is a serious offence, and it’s okay to report that.”

Durkan being interviewed by police

In 2025, research undertaken on NCSOs by Ms Lovett’s team at LMU was developed into an official training programme for members of the Metropolitan Police, informing their responses to crimes of this nature.

She said: “We hope that with the training that has been provided, the police are more sensitive and more responsive to these kind of crimes, which historically have been downplayed.

“In this case in Islington, it’s clear that the Met did really good investigative work and listened to reports that have been made.”

Mr Durkan, who was seen on the footage trying to mask his face, has been released on bail with conditions until he is sentenced at a later date at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

Detective Chief Inspector Gemma Alger said: “Durkan’s offending represented a serious and sustained course of predatory behaviour, deliberately targeting women who were entirely unaware they were being filmed, without their consent and in the privacy of their own homes.”

Labour councillor Heather Staff, Islington’s community safety chief, added: “We welcome the conviction in this deeply disturbing case, and my thoughts are with the women who were targeted. Voyeurism is an especially invasive crime, and everyone has the right to feel safe in their own home and to have their privacy respected.

“As a council, we’re working tirelessly to help tackle violence against women and girls, support victims, and ensure that Islington remains safe for everyone. That’s why we’re investing in new mobile CCTV, outreach in communities, upgraded lighting, and new gated entries, to help prevent this sort of behaviour.”

Islington South MP Emily Thornberry said: “I would like to congratulate these brave women for coming forward and very pleased to hear that the police took their complaints seriously, acted on them and caught him red handed.

“Voyeurism is a horrible, intimidating and humiliating offence, The sad truth is that there are likely to be other victims of this man out there. I would like to echo the police’s call for those who have noticed suspicious activity around their homes in the early hours between January 2020 and March 2026 to get in contact via 101 or email OpParinga @met.police.uk.”