A PERVERT who filmed up women's skirts in clothing stores fled to Jamaica weeks before his trial was due to start.

James Manchand withdrew all his savings from his bank account — leaving it £120 overdrawn — and flew to Montego Bay in Jamaica in June this year, a court heard.

The flight ticket was valid to return on July 1 but the 51-year-old, of Blackhorse Street, Blackrod, was not on board the aircraft.

He is still abroad and a warrant is outstanding for his arrest, Bolton Crown Court was told.

Despite this, a jury yesterday cleared Manchand of a fresh charge of looking up a woman's skirt in New Look Bolton in November 2014.

But the judge hearing the case ordered that Manchand be jailed for 16 months for offences committed in TK Maxx in Manchester three months earlier.

Manchand admitted outraging public decency when 80 videos shot up the skirts of 40 different women were found on his mobile phone.

Robert Golinski, prosecuting, said Manchand had been in the TK Maxx store in Market Street, Manchester, on August 26 last year when he dropped some shoes on the floor near a shop assistant and, bending down to retrieve them, positioned a mobile phone under her skirt.

When he was arrested police found multiple videos on his phone.

"The images didn't show the exposed genitalia of these ladies but they are deliberately taken looking up their skirts," said Mr Golinski.

Judge Graeme Smith was told that Manchand also had two previous convictions for similar offences — one when he concealed a hidden camera in a women's changing room in Norwich and another when he attached a camera to his shoe to look up women's skirts in Manchester City Centre.

Judge Smith said: "In light of the fact that he has continued his offending unabated, it is quite clear to me that the principle purpose of sentencing is the protection of the public."

PC Rick Charlesworth told the court that Manchand had flown to Jamaica on June 16.

"As far as I am aware, to the best of my knowledge, he is still there," said PC Charlesworth.