A farmer originally from Abingdon used hi-tech cameras to record women naked at a remote holiday cottage he rented out, a court heard yesterday.

David Sturgess, 53, is accused of hiding a series of cameras in fake smoke alarms to spy on women and young girls as they showered, changed and used the toilet.

Sturgess denies 12 charges of voyeurism and three charges of taking indecent images of children throughout 2007.

Police found an array of hidden cameras in the bedrooms, kitchen, lounge and bathroom of the three-star cottage he ran in Llandysul, near Cardigan, in mid Wales.

The hidden system was linked to a series of TV monitors and recording equipment in a room at the next-door farmhouse where Sturgess lived.

Christopher James, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that Sturgess made the recordings "to satisfy his own sexual gratification".

The surveillance was discovered when he split up with his partner, Theresa Crick, who then reported him to the police.

The court heard that Sturgess moved from Abingdon to mid-Wales to farm a smallholding where he converted an outbuilding into a holiday let.

He advertised the cottage and its location on a website and was supported in the venture by the Wales Tourist Board.

But when police raided the farm in September last year, they found a video containing recordings of a dozen former guests at the cottage in various states of undress.

Women were the main victims of the recordings, but a schoolgirl as young as 14, girls of 17 and two men were also caught on camera.

The secret footage featured women in the shower and undressing and also included couples having sex in the bedrooms of the cottage.

The cameras were also used to zoom in on specific moments and included an extra-sensitive audio option to increase the volume.

Ms Crick claimed that three weeks before she split from Sturgess, she caught him watching a family staying next door, which included girls of 14 and 17.

She told the court she was unhappy with what he was doing and complained to Sturgess about it.

The case was adjourned until today when the jury is expected to retire to reach its verdict.