A Fife woman has opened up on the trauma of being forced to live next door to her spy-cam pervert dad who secretly filmed her in the nude.
Briony Paddon says the presence of her father Karl has “tormented” her since he avoided a jail sentence for his sick crimes two years ago.
Paddon moved into a property adjoining Briony’s own after splitting from Briony’s mother, Andi, around a decade ago.
The couple joint-own the adjoining houses and had knocked them together to form one large family home.
The creep filmed several young women – his own daughter among them – as they used a jacuzzi in his half of the house.
The Scottish archery champion was also found with a stash of child abuse images – 124 in the most serious category – after police were tipped off by his internet supplier.
He was given a community sentence, partly because his health issues would have been a burden on the prison services.
He still lives next door to Briony in coastal Fife, with an internal door – now barricaded – adjoining the properties.
‘He’s acting as if nothing has happened’
Briony has waived her right to privacy to tell of the toll the sick crimes have taken on her life.
The 28-year-old has lost friends, partners and her job as a result but feels her father – who maintained his innocence – has “got off scot-free”.
“He’s my father, but he’s not my dad in my eyes,” she told The Courier.
“He’s living his best life and it’s not fair because I’m struggling. He’s acting as if nothing has happened.
“I’ve had no justice – people have treated me like I’m guilty, just because I’m associated with him.
“I felt ashamed and embarrassed – even though everyone said to me you don’t need to because you’ve done nothing wrong.
“But it’s such a disgusting and embarrassing thing to be part of.
“He’s gotten away scot-free and that’s what’s bothering me the most.
“He basically got a slap on the wrist.”
Secretly filmed in ‘spa days’
Briony and others regularly used the jacuzzi “for spa days”, unaware Paddon had multiple cameras in the room.
Her world fell apart when police showed her an image of her in the nude, taken from the camera and found on Paddon’s laptop.
She said: “The police came and showed me a still picture – a frame from a video.
“They asked if I could identify who the people in the picture were – I said it was me.
“I felt sick.”
At Falkirk Sheriff Court, Sheriff William Gilchrist placed Paddon under social work supervision for three years and on the Sex Offenders Register for the same period but, crucially, declined to make the non-harassment order Briony feels would have given her some protection.
She also feels robbed of a chance to see justice being done as Covid restrictions during the 2021 trial meant the public were not allowed in court.
Blocked door as fears continue
Briony says she has been forced to block up an internal door, which leads from Paddon’s property into her bedroom next door, for fear he may try to film her again.
She said: “I’ve locked the door and put my bookcase in front of it.
“I’ve duct-taped all of the gaps in the door because I felt so scared to get changed in front of it in case he was peeking through.
“I was having night terrors, I would wake up in tears and sweating.”
Some of her nightmares involved her father acting in a sexualised manner towards her.
She added: “It wasn’t just in dreams – in real life he would say things you would never say to your daughter. It’s disgusting.”
Distressing court experience
Briony feels the police and prosecutors could do more to make victims feel included in investigations.
She said: “They said they were investigating my dad but that’s all all they said to us.
“From a victim point of view that made life difficult.
“I know they are just doing their job and they can’t give details of an ongoing investigation but they didn’t give me anything to give me peace of mind either.
“If they had sat me down, and explained things I think it would’ve helped more.
“The fact was I was the victim and they gave me nothing.
“When we were in court his lawyers were trying to trip me up and put words in my mouth, trying to say that if I use the computer, I must have downloaded (the images).
“I broke down in tears in the court room because they were so nasty.”
Vigilante fears
She remains terrified others will take matters into their own hands in the name of justice.
“I still am quite scared living in my house because I know what happens, you get these vigilante groups that come out,” she said.
“I’m scared they may take the wrong house.
“It’s constant – the minute I hear any voice outside walking past everything is paused, so I can hear what is being said – just in case.”
Attempts by The Courier to contact Karl Paddon have so far failed.
Briony’s ‘little rock’
She credits her scuba-diving hobby and her rescue dog Negan for helping her rebuild her life.
“The diving helps – me being out at sea really helps. If I could breathe underwater, I don’t think I’d want to come back up.
“And Negan’s really, really helped me through so much.
“If I start crying, he’s right up to me putting pressure on me – almost like pressure therapy – and then he’ll start cleaning my tears away.
“He’s my little rock.”
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