A STORE manager secretly filmed three of his employees in the staff toilet, a court has heard.

James Duff, of Greenlaw Road, Yoker, was the manager of a major retailer's store in Clydebank and repeatedly set up his mobile phone to capture the women changing or using the toilet.

The name of the store cannot be revealed in order to protect the identity of the victims.

Two of the victims were only discovered when the third, a teenager, spotted the camera looking at her as she sat on the loo.

The 32-year-old's abuse of his position and staff was branded a "betrayal" and "horrifying" in court.

On February 19, 2022, the teenage employee arrived to start her shift around 11am where she was the only other worker with Duff.

In the staff room and toilet, she noticed the manager's backpack on top of boxes but thought nothing of it as it was common for staff to leave bags there.

At 4pm when her shift ended, she went to the staff room and locked the door before sitting on the toilet, fiscal depute Rebecca Reid told the court.

That's when the employee noticed Duff's phone in the mesh bottle holder of his bag - upside down and pointing right at her.

She stood up and pulled her trousers up. She pulled the phone out and opened the flip case and found it had been recording for 19 minutes.

The teenager immediately stopped the recording and opened the photo reel.

She found three videos in total. The first one showed Duff setting up the camera and the second pointing at the toilet, and the third of the teenager.

Just then, Duff knocked on the door and said he needed to use the facilities. The girl said she'd be done shortly and permanently deleted the videos from the phone.

Once out of the store she called her boyfriend and recounted what happened and was noticeably distressed.

She later told her parents and they reported the matter to the police.

When officers confronted Duff, they seized devices - and discovered two previous victims.

Duff's face and distinctive tattoo on his left hand were clearly visible on videos and screenshots, as was his work lanyard.

There were four videos ranging from a minute to seven minutes of the teenager in December 2021 and February 2022.

Five screenshots allowed police to trace two further victims from store employees.

At Dumbarton Sheriff Court on December 12, Duff pleaded guilty to three charges that took place while he was store manager.

Between August 19 and December 21, 2020, he took an image of a woman using the lavatory using a camera he had concealed.

On August 23, 2020, he recorded an image of another female employee.

And between December 5, 2021 and February 19, 2022, he recorded the teenager on various occasions within the staff toilet changing her top and using the lavatory. And he attempted to record her or another member of staff doing a private act.

The Crown accepted he was not guilty of a fourth charge of public indecency - repeatedly exposing himself and masturbating at the front counter on Valentine's Day, 2022.

Defence solicitor Stephen McGuire said: "He appreciates the very serious nature of the offences he has pleaded guilty to."

But he said his client had struggled to explain his actions.

Sheriff William Gallacher said: "How and why is a difficult question as a one-off. As a supervisor and manager it is a very serious breach of trust."

Turning to Duff, the sheriff said: "Your betrayal of your position of trust as manager is verging on horrifying."

He said he couldn't guarantee Duff wouldn't be jailed when he is sentenced.

Social workers will prepare reports ahead of a hearing on January 23, 2024, and Duff was immediately put on the sex offenders register in the interim.

The store has been approached for comment.