Description
A PERVERTED health professional who systematically subjected young men to sexual assaults as he examined them during occupational health checks for their employer has been jailed.
But the sickening assaults carried out by 36-year-old Marc Manning on his nine unsuspecting victims were only part of the story, Carlisle Crown Court heard.
A former police community support worker, Manning carried out the abuse while he was employed as an occupational health technician, working in Carlisle, Kendal and west Cumbria. But he also spent more than two years making perverted and intimate recordings of men using the gym where he was a member.
Those victims also oblivious to what was happening - were secretly filmed as they urinated or changed clothes. Manning made at least 300 such secret recordings.
The Cumbrian detective who investigated the case said she had never before seen a phone containing so much of voyeuristic material. She expressed concern not just at the quantity of images but also the efforts Manning had gone to ensure he could collect such material over more than two years.
In court, Manning admitted nine sexual assaults and two voyeurism allegations, one relating to multiple offences committed between January, 2018, and last year.
Harriet Lavin, prosecuting, said that the defendant was employed by a private health firm to carry out occupational health checks on workers, most of them employed by a regional employer.
He joined the health firm in 2018.
The health checks would ordinarily include height, weight, blood pressure and eyesight and they would include discussing any actual medical issues they may have and provide urine samples, said Ms Lavin.
Concerns were raised in February of that year after it emerged that Manning was conducting so-called hernia checks on workers. Such checks were not part of any health technician's work.
A health and safety advisor at the firm raised this with another occupational health technician. [He] told her that he and the other health technicians were not qualified to do such examinations and that hernia checks would absolutely not be part of a standard screening, said Ms Lavin.
Due to the fact the victims werent entirely sure what their health checks should entail, they describe trusting the defendant and presumed what he was asking them to do was legitimate and required.
Some of the men reported seeing Manning's mobile phone, propped up against a mug on his desk, prompting suspicion that he had filmed his sexual assaults, though no evidence of this was found.
On one occasion, Manning told a worker his body below the waist could be contaminated by workplace chemicals a pretext for an intimate examination. Another man was asked to remove his top because the consulting room was warm.
Yet other victims reported how Manning asked them about possible sexual health problems yet another strategy to justify an intimate examination, the court heard. Manning offered to give a second opinion on such issues.
The defendant was arrested on February 28, 2021 and his devices including phones and laptops were seized by the police.
Ms Lavin said police discovered scores of videos taken in a gym showing men urinating, or getting changed in changing rooms. Ultimately, the phones contain at least 300 videos and have been recorded in different locations.
The men on the videos are oblivious to these recordings and it appears the defendant has used a background video recorder application which allows the defendant to record the videos covertly, preventing others to become aware they are being filmed.
Some of the workers seen by Manning reported feeling uncomfortable during the checks and one described Manning as very weird.
The court then heard impact statements from the victims. He has completely abused his power and position, said one man, pointing out that his confidence in health professionals had been shattered.
Another said his trust in health professionals was at rock bottom as a result of what happened.
At the beginning in this investigation," commented one worker, "I wasnt sure Id been assaulted. But knowing he has pleaded guilty I feel stupid and nave that I let myself by violated by someone I thought was a trustworthy and professional man."
Yet another worker said: When I was told that Manning had pleaded guilty to sexual assault it made me think it was planned from the start; how rehearsed and scripted it was. It made me think: how many times has he done this before?
Anthony Parkinson, defending, said Manning felt "genuine remorse" for his offences and had already taken steps to address his behaviour. This included signing up for therapy, said the barrister.
But Judge Richard Archer said Manning had abused his position of trust in a way that undermined the willingness of men generally to seek medical help from professionals.
Manning also felt shame and embarrassment, said Mr Parkinson. He also suffers from depression and due to difficulties in his younger years with his sexuality he has struggled with a lack of confidence.
Judge Richard Archer told the defendant: "The extent to which your offending represents a gross breach of trust can not be overstated."
The judge said Manning abused his trusted position in such a way that it undermined the willingness of men generally to seek medical help from professionals.
There is no doubt that your behaviour was intentional and committed for your sexual gratification," said the judge. "I am told that you have struggled for some time with your own sexuality; you had a difficult time in childhood with family members who were unable or unwilling to accept your sexuality.
You have never been in a loving relationship with another man.
I dont doubt any of that but none of it remotely excuses or explains or justifies your offending. These were not the actions of a man experimenting with or exploring his sexuality. This was highly risky behaviour.
The judge added that he had concluded Manning certainly had a desire to film the assaults he carried out, given the evidence about his phone and how it has been suspiciously deployed.
Normally, the previous good character of a defendant is regarded as a mitigating factor. But in Mannings case, said the judge, it was an aggravating factor because this had allowed him to take a job which was a position of trust.
The defendant, of Glenmore Crescent, Thornton-Cleveleys, near Blackpool, was jailed for four and a half years and put on the Sex Offender Register for life. When released, he will be subjected to a sexual harm prevention order.
This will mean he is barred from owning any camera and any digital device he owns will have to be subjected to strict monitoring and control. During his emplolyment in 2018, Manning carried out health checks on 205 people.
Detective Constable Charlotte Jones, who worked on the case, thanked the victims for their courage in supporting the investigation. Manning completely abused his position of trust subjecting his victims to sexual assaults for his own fulfilment," she said.
* If you have been affected by rape or sexual assault, contact The Bridgeway Sexual Assault Support Services 24/7 free helpline on 0808 118 6432.