Luxury hotel worker caught taking photographs of child at East Lothian swimming pool

Peter Boniface was spotted snapping images of the seven-year-old victim getting dressed with his mobile phone at Dunbar Leisure Centre in 2022.

A member of staff was informed and after confronting the 21-year-old hotel worker he immediately reported him to the police. Officers then carried out a search of Boniface’s former home in Kelso, Scottish Borders, and discovered child abuse images and videos hidden on three devices.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told the child had been swimming at the leisure centre with their family and was getting dressed before leaving the building on August 20, 2022.

Boniface, of Southouse, Edinburgh, was seen loitering in the area while fully dressed and holding a mobile phone. The court heard a witness saw Boniface, who works as a housekeeper at a five star luxury hotel in the Borders, looking over the top of the cubicle with his phone in his hand and reported him to a member of staff.

Peter Boniface was spotted taking photos of a young child at an East Lothian swimming pool. | Alexander Lawrie

Get all of the latest breaking news from Edinburgh and the Lothians with our free breaking newsletter.

Fiscal depute Morgan Beattie said the child was unaware of what had been happening. Police arrived at the leisure centre shortly after and Boniface was said to be “extremely nervous and physically shaking”.

Ms Beattie said he told officers he had been looking at children online and the “temptation was too much” while he was at the pool. Police confiscated the phone and recovered two devices from his home and found a total of 36 pictures and videos of children aged between five and 14-years-old being sexually abused by adults.

Defence agent Mark Harrower said his client had been diagnosed with ADHD and autism in 2023 and was currently engaging with the sex offenders organisation Stop It Now.

Sheriff Thomson placed Boniface on the sex offenders register on an interim basis and deferred sentence for the preparation of social work reports.

Boniface appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday, May 8 and pleaded guilty to taking, or allowing to be taken, indecent images of children between January 1 and August 20, 2022. He also admitted to attempting to, or taking, photos of a seven-year-old child doing a private act at Dunbar Leisure Centre, Dunbar, East Lothian, on August 20, 2022.