Former model uncovers the secret online marketplace where British men swap footage of innocent women they have captured on spy cameras hidden in pens, air fresheners and plugs

By MARK DUELL, DEPUTY CHIEF REPORTER (DIGITAL) Published: 15:41, 8 July 2026 | Updated: 15:58, 8 July 2026 A network of 'spycammers' who film women naked without their knowledge before sharing the footage online was today revealed by a former glamour model. Jess Davies, who once appeared in lads' mags as a teenager but is now a presenter and online safety campaigner, went undercover to expose the dark industry. In her new BBC documentary 'Hunting the Spycammers', she found people boasting about filming wives, girlfriends and strangers without their knowledge. The 33-year-old investigated how footage filmed on hidden cameras in bedrooms, bathrooms, changing rooms and other private spaces is being liked and shared. One particularly troubling example saw someone plant spycams on a walking route to catch women stopping to urinate in a bush where there are no public toilets. Davies also looked into the range of cheap spycam technology available including cameras disguised as everyday objects such as pens, air fresheners and plugs. She spoke to one woman who went to the toilet while eating at a high-end restaurant and found a tiny camera hidden under the seat that could livestream footage. Working with investigative journalist Liam Connell, Davies discovered a sprawling voyeur website - a hub from which users link to encrypted chat groups. Jess Davies went undercover to expose the dark online network of 'spycammers' Davies looks at a range of cheap spycam tech such as cameras disguised as everyday objects The duo also uncovered evidence of non‑consensual footage being shared anonymously, including by users in Britain. Posing as a new 'spycammer' looking for advice, they infiltrate these groups and find perpetrators openly swapping stories and tips on how to secretly film people. These include capturing relatives, partners, flatmates and strangers in private moments such as sleeping, showering, changing - and boasting about the footage. Davies was herself once photographed naked while sleeping and the image shared on a private WhatsApp group. Speaking about her investigation, Davies said: 'It's a never-ending cycle of mass distribution of non-consensual content of women. It feels like these women are being hunted down and preyed upon.' She also confronts people behind the spycams to ask why they do it, if they know their actions are illegal and whether they feel sympathy for those being targeted. Davies, who was born in Hereford but moved to Aberystwyth in her early years, began a glamour modelling career aged 18 while studying sociology at the University of South Wales. She was in the final of Miss Wales in 2010 and soon appeared in the likes of FHM, Zoo and Nuts magazines. In an interview with the Daily Mail in March 2024, Davies revealed she had received hundreds of images on social media and by email of men's penises. Davies finds footage being filmed on hidden cameras in bedrooms is being liked and shared She added that she first encountered a cyber-flasher - an adult male - when, aged 16, she was in an internet chatroom with a group of female school friends. In 2017, Davies was sexually assaulted by two men who put their hands down her top and squeezed her breasts at a takeaway in Cardiff. And aged 15, she shared a photo of herself in her underwear with a boy she trusted –before he leaked it and it was sent around the school. Davies has become a prominent women's rights and online safety campaigner in recent years and released a book in 2025 called 'No One Wants to See Your D*ck' about tackling online misogyny.  Sian Harris, commissioning editor for BBC Cymru Wales, said: 'Anyone who watches this film will relate to the horrific thought of being filmed by a secret camera in those private spaces: a bedroom, the shower, a changing room. 'Jess and Liam's compelling investigation not only reveals this as a growing crime, but shines a light on the shady places where non-consensual videos are being traded and asks the questions we'd all want answers to about how and why is this happening.' 'Hunting the Spycammers' will be out on BBC iPlayer on Wednesday, July 15