'Disgusting' blackmailer who secretly filmed woman in the toilets at West Suffolk Hospital is jailed

A man who filmed a woman in a hospital toilet and then blackmailed her has been jailed for three years.

Piotr Prasalek, 35, covertly filmed his victim and later sent her a message on social media saying he would share the footage if she did not pay him £1,000.

Prasalek, of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, was arrested on 22 March over the covert filming at the West Suffolk Hospital.

He was charged with making an unwarranted demand with menaces and a second charge of recording a person conducting a private act with the intention of obtaining sexual gratification.

Suffolk Police said that during their investigation they worked closely with hospital staff to make sure that all the toilets in the building had been thoroughly searched and to help the trust develop an action plan to prevent it from happening again.

Det Insp Stuart Dolan from West Suffolk CID said: "This was a situation that caused great emotional distress to the victim.

"To record and exploit her through trying to blackmail her into giving Prasalek £1,000 was a disgusting and heartless act.

"I hope he reflects deeply on his actions and behaviour and how these impacted the victim." Craig Black, chief executive for West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We thank the police for their prompt response and support in dealing with this case.

"We continue to support those affected by this terrible act."There is no place for this in our trust and community; our buildings are a place of safety for all who access our services.

"We have taken steps, with our security teams, to regularly check our premises and have put in place measures to ensure this kind of incident does not happen again."

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