Pervert jailed for filming girl in showers at horse show
A man who filmed a girl in the showers during the British Show Pony Society winter championships has been sent to prison for 14 months.
Lee Mark Grovell pleaded guilty not only to voyeurism, but also to three counts of making indecent images of children, and possessing an extreme pornographic image.
The 46-year-old was caught filming in the Arena UK shower cubicles on Sunday, 27 March, by working hunter competitor Sophie Kelly.
“I happened to look down, and there was a phone, underneath the dividing partition, videoing me,” Sophie told H&H.
“I shouted, but the person didn’t say anything. I thought maybe it was a teenager messing around, but got worried when there was no response.”
Sophie, 24, came out of the shower and confronted Grovell.
“I realised he wasn’t a teenage boy – I hadn’t thought it would be a middle-aged man,” she said.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“I went off at him and gave him a few profanities; I called him everything under the sun.
“The worst thing was that I could cope but he didn’t know who it was in the shower, how old I was or anything, it could have been a child.”
Sophie reported Grovell to BSPS officials and he was taken to the police station.
“I had to spend the last day of the show giving statements,” Sophie said.
“It turned out he had two phones and although he was smug at first, that changed when they found the second one.
“He had indecent images of children, and a sickening video of him with a horse. But police said they couldn’t recover the video of me. He could have deleted it but there’s no knowing.”
Sophie did not have to attend a trial, as Grovell pleaded guilty, and her victim statement was read out on her behalf, at Lincoln Crown Court last Monday (14 November).
“I’m just shocked; you think you’re safe at a horse show and then to have this happen, I’m glad he’s in jail now,” she said.
A spokesman for WH Security, which was working at the show, said: “While we never wish to come across these individuals, our staff are trained to deal with these situations swiftly and discreetly and what relevant action to take.
“We are glad this person has now been removed from the show circuit. We are proud of our trained staff, that their observations and investigations have lead to a conviction.
Related articles:
- Bogus horse vet who scammed £50k out of clients is jailed for two years
- Horse dealer who ‘exploited’ buyers jailed for six months
- Man jailed after ‘sexual incident’ involving Shetland pony
“We all hope these people do not enter the environments we work in but will continue to be observant and react should anything like this come to our team’s attention in the future.”
“We were very disappointed it happened at our venue and have taken steps, including changing the showers to single-sex, to ensure to the best of our ability that it never happens again,” added an Arena UK spokesman.
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.