Swimming Pool 'Peeping Tom'

stepped on the trainer

oh sorry, i wear swedish wooden clogs

I am not good at thinking "on the spot" but think you were right to tell the receptionist.

I think I'd have moved cubicles as soon as I thought something odd was happening.

By the way, I didn't know this was a 'thing' until today when I looked it up on the internet and there have been cases reported in the press - eg - here: www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/fife/263714/man-hid-phone-in-shoe-to-film-girls-changing-in-fife-swimming-pool-cubicles/?sso-c=MC4xNjQzNjUwMCAxNTQzMjc1OTQ1

one of many there are thousands of webpages dedicated to spying on people in supposedly private places.
www.metro.us/news/hidden-camera-coat-hook

a simple websearch brought up this its been going on since the 80s

duckduckgo.com/?q=hidden+cameras+spying+on+people+in+dressing+rooms+and+gyms&t=h_&atb=v1-1&ia=web

how do you place a trainer at an angle?
Not sure how you would have seen it if it was under the bench unless you were bending down ?
How do you know he moved into the next cubicle if you were still shut in your cubicle
Perhaps it’s how you’ve worded it but it doesn’t make sense to me

Well if you d ‘accidently’ stood on the trainer you d have broken it if there was anything in it wouldn’t you

Or just picked it up, looked in it and, if it contained anything suspicious, taken it straight to reception. I don't know why you just left it. It's only a trainer with or without contents!
What I would have stood on was the hand reaching under the gap in the first place.

It's interesting that your instincts were correct, in that something wasn't right.

I've admired my SIL ever since as young women she confronted a man in the car next to us who was being weird (making rude gestures at us) at every traffic stop when we pulled up next to him. She wound her window down and let him have it with both barrels so to speak. He sped off.

I was still collecting my wits!

Good that you reported it.

Our local pool has just changed to unisex changing I was quite surprised, but as the ladies in adjoining cubicles didn't seem bothered why should I.
It does encourage peeping though

I would have picked the trainer up, looked inside and if it contained a camera, taken it to reception. If not I would just have kicked it back under the partition.

Our local pool has had unisex changing for years. I am not aware of a problem.

There shouldn't be unisex cubicles------full stop !

Monica: I would have picked the trainer up, looked inside and if it contained a camera, taken it to reception.

Or kept the camera as a free gift :-)

It's annoying when we can always think of what we "should" have done when it is too late.

I like to think I would have picked up the trainer (and contents) and held onto it. Handed it to the staff - then a nasty young man hobbling out in one shoe and without his phone would have had an awkward conversation with staff, parents and maybe police.

Very sadly I think women have to be on the ball these days for anything. Whoever would have thought there'd be something called "upskirting"?

I'd have definitely picked up the trainer and the contents and then made a loud and large exit announcing my find on the poolside.

The scoundrel!

How horrible. If I was feeling brave (and was quick-thinking enough) I think I would have grabbed the hand or wrist and given it a 'Chinese burn' then listened carefully for a satisfying yelp.
Grabbing the trainer and contents though, Wildswan is much more sensible - if it was a camera phone the incriminating evidence of ownership would be there wouldn't it? (And quite possibly pictures or videos of previous ladies who'd got caught). Glad you reported it.

I would’ve taken the trainer, then with proof, I would’ve confronted him with management. If he is behaving so inappropriately at such a young age he seriously needs professional help before it escalates to something more sinister.

I am bemused as to why you didn’t check if there was anything inside the trainer. That seems the obvious thing to do.

It's easy to say what you would have done in that circumstance, but these weird things happen so unexpectedly, it's often not until it's too late that you realise what is happening. That's how scammers and fraudsters catch so many people out. You did the right thing to report it and sadly it will make you more vigilant in the future. As for unisex cubicles - which stupid moron came up with that idea? Don't feel bad, it's the little weirdo that should be feeling bad.

Er, yuk. He sounds like a peeping Tom! You did the right thing to report it.

If a trainer appeared in the gap or on my side of the cubicle I would simply assume that someone had kicked/knocked it, but you seem certain that it was deliberately placed. Any way I would think someone had lost it and pick it up. Then I might shout out "Who's lost a trainer?" or take it to reception as lost property. You seem to have been remarkably observant , knowing the boy was in the next cubicle, had been in the pool with his mother and moved cubicles (where was his mother?). I think this is a wind-up. Or perhaps something to get an argument going about unisex cubicles. Anyway if anyone didn't know the bill to make upskirting a sexual offence has passed through the commons. So perhaps it would have been better for the boy if you had challenged him and changed his behaviour before it becomes criminal.

Why are there always members of this group "having a go" at people when its quite obvious they are distressed by something contained in their posts ?
Show a bit of compassion for goodness sake !
hellymart take no notice of the Grumps love x

Has no-one here ever been taken off guard by something and wished they had reacted differently? Hindsight is a wonderful thing but not very helpful to the OP.

I've been 'taken off guard' by lots of things in swimming pool changing rooms, particularly when there were children using them. I've never assumed that. there was a camera in a shoe or any of the other objects that have been dropped/thrown or otherwise been found in and around changing rooms. On the other hand I have never been observant enough to know who was with whom, and what the relationship was, of people in the pool. Sorry for asking questions about something.
As I posted this will soon become a serious sexual offence and perhaps challenging the young man would have made him less open to prosecution and being listed as a sexual offender. Young people are sometimes unaware of how serious actions like this are and just think it is a joke and part of today's technology culture.