A man who lurked in the women's toilets at a police training centre in Hendon has been caught trying to take photos of some of the country's top policewomen - sitting on the lavatory.

One senior officer was snapped by contractor Martin Taylor, 36, who had been hired to fit window blinds around the prestigious Peel Centre, in Aerodrome Road, Hendon, in August.

The officer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: "I was in the toilets and caught him trying to take photos of me with his mobile phone. I stopped him and got the phone off him. We launched an investigation and found other pictures on his phone."

Taylor had been given security clearance at the leadership academy in Hendon, which is associated with training some of the most senior police officers in the country.

He had sneaked into the lavatory and locked himself into a cubicle next to women using the toilet, and then positioned his phone camera to capture officers in a compromising position.

Police arrested Taylor, of Carlshalton Road, Sutton, and charged him with three counts of voyeurism under the Sexual Offences Act. He pleaded guilty at Barnet Magistrates Court on September 28 and is due to be sentenced tomorrow.

Taylor faces up to two years' in jail and is likely to be put on the Sex Offenders Register.