Moment police catch upskirter targeting young women in Soho - and find videos of 20 victims on his phone that he'd taken that night

By AIDAN RADNEDGE, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 12:17, 16 April 2026 | Updated: 12:18, 16 April 2026 The moment police catch a sex pest targeting young women in central London's Soho and taking 'upskirting' photos has been revealed after he was put behind bars. Officers then discovered videos of 20 victims on James Manchand's phone, all taken that same night. Manchard, 62, from Camden in north London, has now been jailed for 20 months.  Police had spotted him on Friday 16 January this year repeatedly pacing along queues outside busy venues in the capital's West End. The plain-clothed officers initially suspected he was scouting for potential thefts and began to monitor him more closely. Uniformed officers stepped in to carry out a search when Manchand continued to hover around groups of young women. After providing his details, police checks revealed Manchand was a known offender with an active Sexual Harm Prevention Order for a previous voyeurism offence. Under the order, he was required to hand over his phone and unlock it for inspection. The moment police caught sex pest James Manchand (pictured) targeting young women in central London's Soho and taking 'upskirting' photos has been revealed after he was jailed Manchard, 62, from Camden in north London, has now been jailed for 20 months - officers who arrested him found videos of 20 victims on his mobile phone On opening the device, officers immediately found 29 videos involving more than 20 victims - all filmed that same evening in Soho - and he was arrested at the scene. Westminster magistrates have now sentenced Manchand to 20 months in prison, while he was also told to forfeit a laptop and mobile phone. Manchand was stopped by Met officers during a Live Facial Recognition Operation on Tottenham Court Road in central London. Scotland Yard said officers found Manchand using Virtual Private Network software allowing him to erase cookies and browsing history - both prohibited under his SHPO. Det Con Sam Pearson, who led the investigation, said: 'Manchand’s predatory behaviour was calculated, persistent and showed a complete disregard for the women he targeted. 'Thanks to the vigilance and quick instincts of officers on patrol, we were able to intervene before he could continue offending and recover clear evidence that he had committed multiple voyeurism offences in a single evening. 'No one should have to worry about being violated in this way while simply enjoying a night out. We will continue to act swiftly and decisively against anyone who poses a threat to women and girls.' The officers who caught Manchand were deployed under Operation Martello, aimed at targeting theft and pickpocketing hotspots across the West End.  Uniformed officers stepped in to carry out a search when James Manchand continued to hover around groups of young women in central London on January 16 this year After his details were provided, police checks revealed Manchand was a known offender with an active Sexual Harm Prevention Order for a previous voyeurism offence Commander Clair Kelland, the Met’s public protection lead, said: 'Voyeurism can take many forms, but at its core it is a blatant intrusion into someone’s privacy, often carried out in crowded or busy places where victims may not immediately realise what has happened. 'There is absolutely no excuse for this behaviour. Whether motivated by sexual gratification or a desire to cause humiliation, distress or alarm, voyeurism is always deeply unsettling for those targeted. 'We also want to encourage bystanders to look out for one another.' She urged Londoners: 'If you see someone behaving in a way that feels predatory or attempting to film under clothing, please report it to officers or venue staff straight away. Your quick action could prevent someone from being targeted.' Manchand was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment for each of two breaches of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, to run concurrently. He was also given four months behind bars for recording images under clothing, to run consecutively, and also a further four months which formed part of a previously suspended sentence and now activated by the court to run consecutively. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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