Shocking Incident: Luxury Hotel Employee Caught Taking Disturbing Photos of Child in Pool Cubicle

Peter Boniface was later discovered to possess child exploitation material on multiple devices at his previous residence in Kelso.

An employee at a high-end hotel was caught leaning over a changing cubicle to take inappropriate photos of a young child at a swimming pool in East Lothian.

Peter Boniface was observed using his mobile phone to take pictures of a seven-year-old who was changing clothes at the Dunbar Leisure Centre in 2022.

Upon being alerted, a staff member confronted the 21-year-old, who was then swiftly reported to the authorities.

Subsequent police investigations at Boniface’s prior residence in Kelso, Scottish Borders, led to the recovery of child exploitation material stored on three different devices.

It was reported to the Edinburgh Sheriff Court that the child was at the leisure center with family and was dressing to leave on August 20, 2022.

Boniface, hailing from Southouse, Edinburgh, was seen lingering in the vicinity, fully clothed and handling a mobile phone.

A witness at the scene reported seeing Boniface, a housekeeper at a five-star luxury hotel in the Borders, peering over the cubicle divider with his phone in hand and immediately notified a staff member.

Fiscal depute Morgan Beattie stated that the child was oblivious to the incident.

When police arrived at the scene, they described Boniface as being “extremely nervous and physically shaking.”

He confessed to the officers that he had been viewing children online and could not resist the “temptation” while at the pool.

Law enforcement seized his phone and later retrieved two additional devices from his home, finding a total of 36 images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children aged five to 14 by adults.

The court learned that Boniface had been interacting with other men online, soliciting pictures of young boys.

Defence attorney Mark Harrower noted that his client had been diagnosed with ADHD and autism in 2023 and was currently participating in therapy with the sex offender management program Stop It Now.

Sheriff Thomson registered Boniface as a sex offender on an interim basis and postponed sentencing pending the completion of social work evaluations.

Boniface appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday and admitted to the possession and creation of indecent images of children from January 1 to August 20, 2022. He also confessed to attempting to take, or actually taking, inappropriate photos of a seven-year-old at Dunbar Leisure Centre, Dunbar, East Lothian, on August 20, 2022.