A 27-YEAR-OLD man who took topless photos of three females while they were sleeping and kept the images on his mobile phone has been placed on the sex offenders register.

Alexander Degnan admitted three counts of voyeurism at Selkirk Sheriff Court.

He also pleaded guilty to a charge of sexual assault as one of the photos showed his hands touching one of the females' breasts.

Degnan's crime only came to light when a partner noticed he had a large amount of images on his phone.

The female called the police and Degnan was arrested and his mobile phone seized.

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Depute fiscal Joanna Waller told the court: "All the witnesses were unaware that the images had been taken."

Degnan pleaded guilty to taking a photograph of a female's breasts while she was sleeping under a duvet at a house in Bountree, Jedburgh, between 2016 and 2019.

He also admitted sexually assaulting the female on December 31, 2019, by touching her.

Between January 2017 and March 2019, there were four topless images of another woman appearing to be sleeping at a house in Channel Street, Galashiels.

The third voyeurism offence happened on various occasions at a house in Edinburgh and Jedburgh between January 2019, and July 2020, in which her breasts were exposed and there was another image of her lying face down with her trousers and underwear pulled down and her buttocks exposed.

Degnan, formerly of Jedburgh but now living in Rutherglen, near Glasgow, had sentenced deferred until April 19 for the production of background reports.

He was also made subject of the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act.