Museum Paper Expert's V&A Secret Toilet Camera

A world-renowned paper conservation expert with the Victoria and Albert Museum, who installed a secret camera in a disabled toilet and kept a collection of women's clothes, wigs and make-up under his desk, was placed on 12 months supervision today.

Michael Wheeler, 54, the award-winning Senior Paper Conservator at the V & A in Cromwell Road, South Kensington told police when interviewed: "I suffer from a sexual addiction. The recordings were for my own use."

Wheeler, who been at the museum for seventeen years and lectured all over the world, pleaded guilty last month to voyeurism on August 10 last year in that he installed equipment with intent to observe others doing a private act for his own sexual gratification.

He admitted a second voyeurism charge that on or before August 10 he recorded another person doing a private act for the purpose of his own sexual gratification.

Hammersmith Magistrates' Court heard Wheeler filmed himself installing the covert camera inside the toilet door's coat hook.

"Clearly you gave some thought to this and there were two devices for recording," District Judge James Henderson told Wheeler, also ordering him to sign the sex offenders register for five years, attend up to twenty-five counselling sessions and pay £85 costs.

Prosecutor Mr. Tom Gill explained: "On August the tenth at the Victoria and Albert museum, where the defendant was working as a conservator for seventeen years as an expert in his field, a female member of staff was using a staff disabled toilet on the fourth floor.

"She noticed a strange hook on the back of the door and it was found to be a covert camera.

"The SD card was viewed and among the images of males and females using the lavatory was this defendant attaching the camera and sitting back and viewing his handiwork."

When his work area was searched Wheeler said: "The jiffy bag under my desk. That's all you need."

Inside was a second cover camera and also recovered was a red cloth shoulder bag and women's clothing, wigs and make-up and what was previously described as "other items for sexual gratification."

His lawyer Mr. Hulus Ali told the court: "The minute he was arrested he went to these counselling sessions and has attended eight already.

"He may have lost his job, but his wife is in employment and he has over twenty thousand pounds in savings and can easily afford these sessions.

"These images were for himself. They were not to be sighted by anyone else."

Mr. Henderson told Wheeler: "You could go to prison for this. In theory for eighteen weeks plus, but that is for the most serious category, which is recording and distributing."

Wheeler, who lives on a boat in South Dock Marina, Rope Street, Rotherhithe graduated from the University of Northumbria and specialises in Indian and Asian art on paper and architectural drawings.

He has lectured in Australia, New Zealand, Holland, Finland, India and Singapore and advised on projects in India and Egypt.

Wheeler was the head paper conservator at the Auckland City Art Gallery from 1987 and in 1990 was awarded the Andrew W Mellon fellowship at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

He is also an accredited member of the Institute of Conservation since 2000 and is a member of the professional accreditation committee.