A PERVERT who pretended he was in Turkey to skip his sentencing when he was actually at home in Thornton Heath was spared jail this morning.
The Metropolitan Police's Wanted Offenders Unit today confirmed former Labour council candidate David Christison handed himself in at Croydon Magistrates' Court after an arrest warrant was issued by the magistrate yesterday.
He was sentenced immediately and was given a 12 week community order for filming men urinating in the Centrale shopping centre toilets 30 times in two years.
He has been given a curfew from today (May 2) until July 18 meaning he is not allowed to leave his flat between the hours of 8pm and 6am.
He also has to register with the police for five years under the sexual offences act (2003) and pay a victim surcharge of £60 and costs of £85 to the court.
Christison, 44, was wanted by police briefly because he did not turn up to his third scheduled sentencing hearing yesterday (Thursday) morning.
He had told the court he was on holiday in Turkey but the Advertiser tracked him down to his flat in Launceston Court, Dunheved Road South, in Thornton Heath yesterday afternoon.
He was due to be sentenced three times after pleading guilty to filming men urinating for sexual gratification in Centrale shopping centre toilets 30 times in two years.
The first hearing on March 20 was adjourned after he was said to have had a heart attack and it was later put back on April 3.
The former West Thornton Labour ward secretary wrote a letter to the court explaining he could not attend yesterday because he was on holiday in Turkey - an excuse which was angrily dismissed by magistrate Ian McNeil.
He had posted pictures of his holiday to Alanya in Turkey on Facebook but a neighbour contacted us to say he had been seen walking in the area around his flat and had his windows open.
When a reporter and a photographer visited his home yesterday, Christison answered the door but slammed it when we told him who we were.
We notified the police of his whereabouts but were told the paperwork had not been completed so no officers could attend.
