Girls aged three among victims of upskirting – as teenager describes anger at school’s response
Jolene Russell was 15 years old when a boy in her class sat next to her and took photographs under her skirt.
She had become suspicious when the boy started fidgeting with his phone in a lesson, even though they were banned at the school.
Then he made a bizarre request.
Jolene waived her right to anonymity to speak to Sky News
“He put his bag on the floor and put his phone on his bag with his camera facing upwards,” Jolene told Sky News.
“I thought: ‘Why has he done that?'”
“Then he threw his coat on the floor and asked me to bend over and pick it up for him. Instantly there were red flags,” she added, through tears.
Repeatedly we had to stop the interview as Jolene became overwhelmed recounting her experience – it was clearly painful to talk about.
Jolene’s mother Candice-Marie informed the school that her daughter believed she had been a victim of upskirting – the practice of taking a photo or a video underneath someone’s clothing without their knowledge for sexual gratification.
The school confiscated the boy’s phone and discovered photos underneath Jolene’s skirt which he had surreptitiously taken. The images were deleted but the boy was not suspended.
Two years later, Jolene – now aged 18 – and Candice-Marie are still angry the photos were deleted by the school instead of being presented to the police.
Candice-Marie took matters into her own hands and called the police. The teenager was arrested and given a caution.
Hundreds of upskirting offences recorded
At a festival in 2017, a man stuck his hands between Gina Martin’s legs and took a photograph, inadvertently beginning a campaign that would eventually see upskirting made a criminal offence.
Ms Martin reported the act to the police, but she was told the case was closed as there wasn’t legislation that covered the offence.
Outraged, she began a campaign for the law to be changed in England and Wales (it was already an offence in Scotland). In 2019, the Voyeurism (Offences) (No. 2) Bill received Royal Assent and now perpetrators face up to two years in prison.
Gina Martin campaigned for a change in the law after she was upskirted
But four years later, exclusive figures obtained by Sky News show 1,150 upskirting crimes have been recorded since 2019, with 40% of victims being children – some as young as three years old.
This data was revealed after Sky News submitted freedom of information requests to the 43 police forces in England and Wales – 39 responded.
However just 68 people have been convicted of upskirting since 2019, Ministry of Justice figures show.
Outcomes are low across other sexual offences too. Just 3.6% of sexual offences in England and Wales resulted in a charge in 2022/23 – or 2.1% for rape offences.
In response to the upskirting figures, a government spokesperson said: “We are supporting women and girls to feel safer everywhere and that’s why we are encouraged that 60% of offenders convicted of voyeurism in the past year received either a suspended sentence or immediate custody.”
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‘I blamed myself for wearing that dress’
Katie was 21 when she was out with friends for lunch and a man took photos underneath her dress while she paid for parking.
Another woman alerted her to what was happening and Katie confronted the man who showed the photos he had taken, which he had hastily moved into his deleted folder.
Like so many sexual assault victims, Katie found herself questioning her own behaviour.
Katie was 21 when she was upskirted
She told Sky News: “I felt really embarrassed that someone had done that, because I’d dressed up to go out with my friends.
“I know you’re not supposed to blame yourself but you do think: ‘Maybe I wore a dress which was too short’.”
Katie reported the crime to the police but a few months later, they rang to say there was nothing they could do.
The officer, she said, was unsympathetic and cold – the call lasted two minutes at most.
“I didn’t really believe that they had tried to look into it because I’d been told by the receptionist at the shopping centre that there was CCTV all over the car park,” Katie said.
“It’s something which stays in your head for years. I always wondered where did those photos go?”
The impact on victims
While it may be dismissed as a minor offence, the impact on the victims can be long-lasting.
Candice-Marie says her daughter Jolene has become much more distrustful since she was upskirted.
“It’s affected her confidence, it’s affected her judgement of people,” she said.
“She’s quite distrusting of men and boys now.
“If she thinks someone is following her, she’s on the phone to me instantly. As a mum, it’s tough because I want her to be confident.”
Jolene with her mother Candice-Marie
Candice-Marie also believes what happened reflects a worrying attitude among some male teenagers who think they can harass, pressure and assault girls without repercussions.
“There is a culture among young boys and teenagers where they can get away with this kind of thing,” she added.
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It is a concern shared by Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition.
“We see links between those who were investigated for upskirting also having been investigated for other sexual offending,” she told Sky News.
“It’s an issue we should never minimise because it gives men and boys permission to act like this with impunity.
“That’s where we are currently with the criminal justice system, which responds so poorly and charges and prosecutes so few cases of upskirting and other forms of violence against women.”
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after three children and a woman died in a house fire in Brent, northwest London.
Metropolitan Police officers are investigating after being called to assist firefighters in Stonebridge, near Wembley, shortly after 1.20am.
A 43-year-old woman and three children, a 15-year-old girl, an eight-year-old boy and a four-year-old boy, died at the scene, the force said. Their next of kin have been informed.
Police are waiting for an update on the conditions of two others who were taken to hospital.
A 41-year-old man was arrested at the scene in connection with the incident and remains in custody.
Pics: PA
Eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters responded to the blaze, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) said.
Two terrace houses, each with three floors, were severely damaged in the fire, which was under control by around 3.25am, the fire service added.
Firefighters rescued the woman and one of the children from the second floor of the house, but they were declared dead by air ambulance crews.
The two other children were found inside the property and were also declared dead at the scene, LFB said.
Emergency services at the scene. Pics: PA
LFB assistant commissioner Keeley Foster said: “Upon arrival, firefighters were met with a well-developed fire, involving two adjoining properties. Crews immediately set to work carrying out firefighting operations in order to bring the incident under control.
“Sadly, a woman and three children have died as a result of this fire.
“Crews wearing breathing apparatus were able to rescue the woman and one of the children from the second floor, but they were later declared deceased at the scene.
“A further two children were discovered to have died in the fire, as crews carried out a search of the properties involved.”
She added: “This is an extremely tragic incident, and the thoughts of everyone across the brigade are with those impacted by this incident.”
Pic: PA
London Ambulance Service said an air ambulance, incident response officers, advanced paramedic and hazardous area response team were deployed to the scene.
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Superintendent Steve Allen, from the Met’s local policing team in northwest London, said: “This is an extremely tragic incident and our thoughts are with everyone involved.
“Officers arrested a man at the scene and we continue to work alongside investigators from the London Fire Brigade to establish the cause of the fire.
“Emergency services will remain in Tillett Close throughout the day as these enquiries take place.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in a post on X: “This is devastating news and my thoughts are with the family, friends and wider community of the four people who sadly have lost their lives.
“I remain in close contact with the London Fire Brigade and Metropolitan Police as they work to establish the cause of the fire and offer support to all those impacted.”
Dawn Butler, the local Labour MP for Brent East, posted: “Devastated to see the fatal fire at homes in Tillett Close last night.
“My prayers are with the family and friends affected by this is a very sad tragedy.
“@LFB_Brent worked hard to get it under control, thank you.”
The teacher of one of the Southport stabbing victims has told Sky News they “don’t want her to be forgotten”, 10 months after the knife attack in which she was murdered.
Seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe was killed along with Bebe King, six, and nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar in an attack by Axel Rudakubana at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class last July.
Jennifer Sephton, headteacher of Farnborough Road Infant School, will be skydiving to raise funds for the Elsie’s Story charitable trust, which has been set up in memory of the former pupil.
(L-R) Alice da Silva Aguiar, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Bebe King were killed in an attack at a Taylor Swift-themed class
“She’d been with us for four years, throughout her education,” Ms Sephton told Sky News, “and we just want everybody to know Elsie’s spirit.”
Describing Elsie as “such a determined young lady,” Ms Sephton said Elsie had “a real zest for life, and a sparkle in her eye all the time.”
She added that Elsie’s Story, which has been set up by Elsie’s family, is about “continuing that legacy.”
Jennifer Sephton
In the aftermath of the July 2024 attack, the gates outside Elsie’s school were lined with flowers, balloons, and cards bearing her name.
Since then, memorial benches and a tree have been planted in the school grounds, providing pupils and staff with a place to “remember and reflect”, Ms Sefton says.
“[Elsie’s death] had such an impact on all our community,” the teacher said, “it’s had an impact on her friends, their siblings, our school as a community and our staff.”
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Adrian Antell
‘We want her name to live on’
Ms Sephton will be joined in the skydive by Adrian Antell, headteacher at the adjoining junior school where Elsie had been due to start.
“Elsie was due to come to us last September,” he told Sky News, “but what we’ve learned about her is that she had a wonderful impact in the infant school, and we don’t want her to be forgotten.
“We want her name to have to live on and to be thought of in a positive way.”
Mr Antell said they continue to support Elsie’s classmates, who joined the new school without her.
“There’s no instruction manual for this,” he explained, “every day is different, and every day is one step at a time.
“So all we can do as a school is to think about individual children and support them in the best way we can.”
Scientists from Kew Gardens are using a new study to track which trees bees prefer to try to stem the decline in our vital pollinators.
Bee populations are falling all over the world due to a mixture of habitat loss, climate change, and the use of pesticides, with a devastating impact on our biodiversity and food production.
But it’s feared that not enough comprehensive, global research is being done to understand the issue or find solutions.
The study is building up heat maps of the most popular trees
Non-invasive monitors track the buzz created by bees’ wing beats
UK becoming a no-fly zone
Researchers based at Wakehurst in Sussex, known as Kew’s “Wild Botanic Garden”, have begun placing advanced bio-acoustics sensors in some of their trees to track which ones bees favour.
They hope it’ll help urban planners know which trees to plant in built-up areas, as a way of combating the worrying decline in bee numbers.
Pollination research lead Dr Janine Griffiths-Lee said: “Nearly 90% of our flowering plants depend on the contribution of pollinators, but in the UK the population of flying insects in the last 20 years has decreased by around 60%.
“It’s really hard to be able to put a figure on the decline of our pollinators, but we do know that globally the number is declining.
“And with that comes crop yield instability and the loss of an essential ecosystem service.”
Their new, non-invasive monitors listen for the buzz created by bees’ wing beats, building up heat maps of the most popular spots.
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Bio-acoustics sensors are placed in trees to track which ones the bees are more drawn to
‘We’re facing twin crises’
Dr Griffiths-Lee said: “If you think about the tree’s footprint, it’s very small, but they’re huge 3D structures covered in pollen and nectar, which are essential resources of pollinators.
“So we really wanted to think about which are the best trees for bees for us to plant, and that can inform landscape planners, urban architects.”
Eight different species of tree were chosen for the study, including horse chestnut and lime trees, with a mixture of native and non-native species.
The scientists have also been gathering DNA from pollen, which also helps them to map which plants and flowers the insects prefer.
Wakehurst’s director, Susan Raikes, calls the 535-acre estate a “living laboratory”, and said the project’s all about searching for nature-based solutions to the impacts of climate change.
“The stakes couldn’t be higher, really. We know that we’re facing these twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change,” she added.
“We need to be able to understand, as the climate changes, which plants from warmer climes will be good here in the UK for pollinators in the future.
“If all of our native plants are struggling, then we need to find new sources of pollen – for us all to survive.”
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