WHEN Heidi Marney split with her partner in 2019, she couldn’t be more grateful when a family friend offered her room.
Rob Holden was looking for a lodger and Heidi, now 33, couldn’t believe her luck when he offered to waive her rent until she got back on her feet.
However, she was horrified to discover something lurking in the bathroom. Pictured: Stock image[/caption]
Feeling indebted to Holden, Heidi never imagined the disturbing turn things would take when, in April 2020 he made sexual comments to her whilst drunk.
Later that year, when Heidi began dating again, Hodlen’s reaction revealed a possessive and controlling streak, prompting Heidi to question his true intentions.
Months later, the realisation that Holden had been tracking her phone led to an even more horrifying discovery – he’d been recording her using a hidden camera in the bathroom.
Heidi, now 33, never imagined something like this could happen to her and is now speaking out to encourage others to ‘trust their gut.’
She says, “Rob used his kindness to prey on me and his other victims. It’s been hard but I’ve put in the work to heal and move on, I’m a stronger person now.”
When Heidi moved into Holden’s five bedroom farmhouse in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, it was an impulsive decision.
After her relationship ended, she had nowhere to stay, so when she heard that Holden was looking for a lodger, she moved in the same day.
Heidi, who works as a therapist, explains, “I’d known Rob for years as he was an old family friend.
“He was a village councillor and everyone really respected him, he was a pillar of the community.
“Rob owned a computer repair shop and set me up with a new laptop at a fraction of the cost.
“Then when I lost my job, he told me not to worry about paying rent while I got back on
my feet.
“He was like my knight in shining armour and to show my gratitude I began working in his computer repair shop, collecting laptops in for repair.”
Although the move was intended as a short term solution, time passed and then in March 2020, the UK went into lockdown.
Heidi says, “We split household chores between us, he would cook and I’d clean.
“During lockdown we spent more time together and formed a friendship, Rob was a great listener and became someone I could trust and rely on.”
But in April that year, everything changed when Heidi came home to find Holden drunk.
She says, “Rob and I would chat in the evenings but that night he asked me to put some music on and then, out of nowhere, began making inappropriate comments.
In September last year Holden pled guilty to multiple counts of voyeurism and computer misuse[/caption]
“He told me I had great boobs and I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, knowing he was drunk, but then he said, ‘Come on we’ve lived together for six months, I’ve seen them.’
“I felt he’d crossed a line and left him to it. Later, we bumped into each other upstairs and he said ‘You’re an a***hole but at least you’ve got a good a***’ before slapping my bum.
“I was furious and stopped socialising with him in the evening.”
As time passed, Heidi struggled with her anger toward Holden – who had done so much for her.
Though the pair never truly addressed what happened that night, Heidi became civil with Holden again—while maintaining a distance.
She says, “When I started online dating a year after my break up, Rob wasn’t happy.
“He said it was a waste of time and nobody was good enough for me, but then I got chatting to a guy called Sam and we hit it off.
I was in disbelief and denial, wracking my brain for any kind of explanation
Heidi Marney
“When I made plans to visit him in Leeds I didn’t tell Rob where I was going as I knew he wouldn’t approve.”
Heidi told Holden she was traveling to London with her mum, but within minutes of arriving in Leeds, she received a chilling text.
She says, “Rob claimed he’d seen me in Leeds and it sent alarm bells ringing, then I remembered my laptop.
“Rob had set it up for me, created my password – which I’d never thought to change – and linked my laptop and phone so I could track their locations.
“From my phone, I could see my laptop was at Rob’s house and just two minutes before he’d messaged me, somebody had used it to track my phone’s location.”
Despite confronting Holden, he denied tracking her. Unsure what to do, Heidi turned to her auntie who worked as a police officer.
She says, “My auntie thought Rob was acting like a possessive boyfriend and urged me to check the house for cameras.
“I sent her a video of the house and she pointed out a sensor in the bathroom, urging me to check it.
“I prised it open using a kitchen knife and found an electrical component labelled as a camera and microphone inside.
“I was in disbelief and denial, wracking my brain for any kind of explanation.”
By the early hours of the morning, Heidi’s aunt had alerted police and Holden was arrested but released under investigation.
Meanwhile, Heidi launched her own search for answers.
She says, “I looked up the serial number of the hidden camera and found it had gone out of production years before I’d moved in, which meant it hadn’t been put there for me.
“Rob had mentioned his previous lodgers by name so I looked them up on Facebook and reached out.
HOW TO SPOT HIDDEN CAMERAS
Aaron Bond – a private investigator and security expert at Bond Rees advises looking in ceiling corners and places that give an unobscured view of the entire property.
Some hidden cameras could also be disguised in everyday objects, like lamps and televisions.
Aaron said: “The body of a hidden camera will never be on show, so unfortunately, the part of the camera that is visible to us is also the smallest part of it.”
Some people may be able to use their mobile phones to find hidden cameras.
You can find out if your phone has ability to detect infared light by turning on the front-facing camera and pointing it at a TV remote control.
If you see a red light on the remote when one of the buttons is pressed, your phone can detect infrared.
This means it will also be able to detect infared lights on cameras hidden in the room.
Aaron said: “If you have a mobile phone that can detect infrared signals, walk around the room and scan items that are suspicious.
“If you see a red light on one of these items there is a camera inside.”
“Most were in denial that Rob could do something so evil but as the investigation continued the tide began to turn.”
In April 2022, after a year spent encouraging potential victims to come forward and scouring Holden’s devices, police had sufficient evidence to charge him.
But on the day Holden was to appear in court, he didn’t show up and it was revealed he’d fled to Cape Verde.
Heidi says, “I was so angry, I couldn’t believe he’d been allowed to leave the country but at the same time I trusted the process.
“I’m a big believer in manifestation and kept telling myself: he’s not getting away with this, he is going to prison.”
Always trust your gut; if something doesn’t feel right, don’t brush it under the rug
Heidi Marney
Finally, on 27 September 2024 Robert Holden of Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, was extradited and appeared at Bradford Crown Court.
He pled guilty to multiple counts of voyeurism and computer misuse, the court heard how over the course of 15 years he’d made hundreds of recordings depicting women showering, getting undressed and having sex.
Heidi – who is still with Sam and gave birth to their daughter two days before the sentencing – says the six year, two month jail sentence he received motivates her to speak out.
She says: “I believe Rob groomed me, his acts of kindness were calculated to gain my trust and deflect any suspicion.
“I never thought I could be groomed but Rob is a master manipulator – it’s why I’m determined to speak out – if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.
“Always trust your gut; if something doesn’t feel right, don’t brush it under the rug.”
Heidi is now in a happy relationship with Sam (pictured) and the pair welcomed a daughter together two days before Holden’s sentencing[/caption]