Rosemary Foxall

A teaching assistant and her husband held swimming pool parties for young girls at their Black Country home before secretly filming them in the bath and bedroom, a court heard.

Rosemary Foxall and her husband Martin worked together to film the girls at their home, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

Martin Foxall is said to have filmed the children through a peephole from the loft as they took a bath and camcorders were also hidden around the house including in the bedroom and even in a washing basket.

The two are alleged to have been committing the offences over a number of years.

They were discovered when firefighters were called to a blaze at the house in Sadler Road, Brownhills, and discovered filming equipment and tapes, the court heard.

Martin Foxall, aged 50, committed suicide days after being quizzed by police.

His 49-year-old wife denies 10 counts of making indecent videos and photographs of children. She is also accused of possessing 147 indecent photographs and videos.

Police questioned the couple, who were both well known in the community. She was a teaching assistant, dinner-lady, youth worker and the couple helped run an outdoor centre.

One video played in court of two girls having a bath showed they were suspicious after hearing footsteps above them and thought at first it was “a ghost.” But Rosemary Foxall said there were “squirrels in the loft.”

When the girls asked if they could look in the loft she told them it was a no-go area as her husband had a Scalextric track up there.

Mr Phil Bradley, prosecuting, said “The couple built an extension on their home and included a swimming pool.

“The girls would enjoy themselves in the swimming pool before they were invited to take a bath and change.

“This is when the girls were surreptitiously filmed by Mr Foxall. But all along we say Mrs Foxall knew of the filming and played an active part in it.”