A PSYCHIATRIC nurse with a fetish for women's knickers faces being thrown out of the profession after he was caught taking "cheeky pictures" of women's legs and bottoms as they walked around the Maltings shopping centre in St Albans.

Robert Humm, formerly of Kings Road, London Colney, was arrested in September 2007 after he was caught by two women taking photographs of their legs and bottoms while they shopped at the Maltings.

A national medical council heard yesterday how Mr Humm, who was working with mentally ill adults at a North Devon hospital when he committed the offences, had become obsessed with women's knickers and bottoms.

On one occasion he had secretly filmed up school girls' skirts as they walked along the street, it was said.

The 47-year-old, who now lives in Barnstaple, Devon, admitted to the offences in the city centre shopping centre, telling police on his arrest: "I did it, I took some cheeky pictures.'

Officers also found a pair of pink silk knickers in his pocket and further knickers, which had been stolen from three different shops, in a shopping bag.

Salim Hafejee, for the NMC, said: "He told officers he was going to wear the knickers as he liked to pretend to be a woman.

"He said his actions were perverse and immature and he did it because he had a fetish with the lower half of the female body."

During a search of Mr Humm's home, officers also uncovered a computer containing homemade footage of someone following and filming females in skirts. The recordings were covertly shot in Exeter city centre, near to Mr Humm's home town.

Salim Hafejee, for the NMC, said: "The majority of images are of the lower half of female bodies, in particular their legs and bottoms. One clip showed the leg area of several young females dressed in school uniforms.

"They are all taken from the rear and the females appear to be unaware the footage is being taken."

The panel were told 12 indecent images of children were also recovered from Humm’s PC, graded at level four, with five being the most graphic.

In one image, the face of a 12-year-old girl had been superimposed on an adult woman wearing a bra and stockings.

Mr Hafejee continued: "These are very serious offences. Although there were not an extensive number of images, some of the images found on his computer involved children and were as high as a level four.

"Humm was a psychiatric nurse who worked with vulnerable adults. The potential to put patients at risk was significant.

"There is the further issue of damaging the reputation of the profession.

"In my submission misconduct should be found by way of this conviction and this caution."

Humm was convicted of theft at Bedford Magistrates Court on December 18, 2007. He was later cautioned at Barnstaple Police Station for making indecent images of children.

Humm, of Barnstaple, Devon, did not attend the Central London hearing to defend himself.

The panel have already found him guilty of being convicted of shoplifting and behaving disorderly.

He is further found guilty of receiving a police caution for making indecent photographs of children.

If they find him guilty of misconduct, Humm faces being thrown out of the profession.