A MAN admitted taking photographs of his female colleagues' bottoms in Chester – but claimed his motive was not sexual.

Paul David Stuckey, 27, took the snaps between June 2014 and February this year before they were discovered by police on his computer.

Officers also found 296 indecent images of children, including nine of the most serious category A, which he had amassed since 2009.

Stuckey pleaded guilty to six counts of possessing and making indecent images of children during a hearing at Chester Crown Court yesterday.

But he entered a not guilty plea to one count of outraging public decency by “taking numerous photographs and videos of females' bottoms for the purpose of sexual gratification”.

Given that he had admitted a string of serious offences, prosecutor Mandy Nepal said there was no public interest in taking the matter to trial and requested the charge be left on file.

Chris Hunt, defending, suggested that the act of photographing people in public who were not engaged in a “private act” was not currently a criminal offence.

He referred to the case of journalist Gina Martin who had launched a bid to make the practice of “upskirting” illegal under the Sexual Offences Act after someone took a photo up her skirt at a festival.

Judge Roger Dutton agreed it was not in the public interest to pursue the outraging public decency charge, but took issue with the suggestion no criminal offence had taken place and that Stuckey's motive was not sexual.

He asked Mr Hunt: “You're saying he had a legitimate anatomical interest in women's bottoms?”

The court heard Stuckey had allegedly downloaded images of children with his brother Steven, 25, while they shared a “small room” at their home on Belgrave Drive, Ellesmere Port.

Steven Stuckey was also due to appear before the judge faced with charges of making and possessing 453 indecent images of children including 12 at category A but was not in court.

Paul Stuckey will be sentenced on Friday, September 29, pending the completion of a pre-sentence report by the Probation Service.