VOYEUR Jason Mumford enjoyed spying on naked women and girls in changing rooms at Loddon Valley Leisure Centre so much that he asked his doctor to prescribe him free swimming sessions, a court heard.

The 43-year-old gained entry to his local pool "on doctor's orders" as therapy for anxiety but used the time to film children as young as eight years old as they undressed in cubicles.

Police who raided his locker at the leisure centre found a collection of women's and children's underwear and a camera with almost 900 images on it.

Mumford then made a startling admission to police - he wore a pair of size six women's knickers underneath his swimming shorts when he was at the pool.

He was caught red-handed when a young woman looked down while she was naked and saw his head poking out of the gap beneath the cubicle wall.

The horrified 23-year-old ran out of the changing cubicle screaming for her boyfriend's help.

Police searched Mumford's locker and his home and were left stunned when they found thousands of images and videos of women and children as young as eight years old as well as his collection of women and children's underwear.

Mumford admitted 14 counts of making indecent images and two counts of spying on a person doing a private act.

Duncan O'Donnell, prosecuting at Reading Crown Court on Friday, said: "The police found on his medical record a note from April 2014 saying he would like to spend more time swimming. He realised the therapeutic benefits of swimming and he inquired at the surgery of the availability of free prescribed swimming sessions."

Referring to the incident where Mumford was caught by the woman, Mr O'Donnell said: "She went into the cubicle and took her costume off and started drying herself. She had a feeling that she was being watched. She looked down and saw a man's head was poking out underneath the cubicle and he was staring at her."

The police were called and Mumford was detained.

Mr O'Donnell went on: "The officer asked to be shown what was in his locker. She found a draw-string bag and she was to find a pair ladies' black knickers sized six, a 10-year-old's pink polka-dot knickers, a blue and pink thong and a Samsung digital camera.

"There were 897 images on it. Eleven of those files were found to be others that had been filmed within the changing room environment and it was clear they had been filmed through a hole on a cubical wall."

Mumford told police that he had gone for a swim at the pool in Rushey Way, Earley, because of the hot weather, which he admitted had triggered sexual thoughts in his mind.

Sophie Murray, defending, said her client would struggle in prison and would benefit more from a community order.

She added: "A community order would provide him with supervision for a long period of time. Probation has highlighted he would struggle if a custodial sentence is imposed and it may not address the root of his behaviour in a way that a community order would provide him with the skills to prevent his offending."

Mumford, of Bamburgh Close, Reading, admitted 14 counts of making indecent images of children and two counts of observing a person doing a private act, at an earlier hearing.

Mr Recorder Persaud jailed him for 34 months and said: "You are ashamed of what you have done in the past.

"You went to the leisure centre with a camera and you filmed people undressing.

"There are images of young children. The victims would have been horrified if they had known what you were doing."

Mumford was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.