Police probe spy mirror in Glasgow club’s women toilets

Guardian News and Media/Glasgow

Allegations that a nightclub in Glasgow has secretly fitted a two-way mirror to allow male guests to spy on the women’s toilets “as a bit of fun” are being investigated by police and council licensing officers.

Glasgow city council said it had received complaints that the Shimmy nightclub had installed a spy mirror - without warning female guests - between the bathroom and a function room that was allegedly rented to private parties for £800.

A customer at the club called Amy has told the Guardian she was warned about the two-way mirror by another customer when she visited Shimmy’s to celebrate her birthday recently.

Distressed, she left the bathroom, and then saw that customers in the main room of the club could glimpse inside the women’s bathrooms.

The main view into the women’s toilets was from private booths which were immediately adjacent to the mirror, she said. “It was booked out by all boys and they were up against the mirror and making gestures up against the mirror,” she said.

Amy complained directly to G1 Group, the company which owns the recently relaunched club in central Glasgow, saying it was “absolutely outrageous” that women customers were having their privacy invaded, allowing men to “leer disgustingly” at them.

“Nowhere is it made clear that this is the case, so when visiting the bathroom for the first time, there are woman bending over the sink, pouting into the mirror to redo their lipstick whilst unknowingly being watched by people on the other side,” she said. “What is even more vulgar is that the toilets face on to a private booth that can be booked out to specifically leer into the girls bathrooms whilst the girls are unaware that they are being watched.”

She received an e-mail reply from Kirstin Nicol, G1 Group’s director of risk and compliance, insisting that a small disclaimer was printed on the women’s bathroom mirror to warn that there was two-way glass fitted.

“Firstly can I apologise that you have been offended, this is 100% not our intention at all. The mirror detail in the ladies toilet was put in as a talking point, only the ladies at the sinks can be seen, there is another mirror behind the wall for people to use who don’t like the one at the sinks. And there is no view of the cubicles or the corridor,” Nicol wrote. “We had attempted to put a graphic on the mirror to obscure it a little bit more but due to your comments we will change that and put a fuller one on it to make it more effective.

“I can assure you that if there was any behaviour deemed sexist or immoral or anyone was leering or making inappropriate gestures we would remove them from the club, and if necessary call the police. There is a small disclaimer on the mirror, however I will also look at making that bigger. We also have a toilet attendant who advises the ladies about the mirror.

“To date you are the first complaint, everyone else so far has seen it as we intended, as a bit of fun. We would have done the same with the male toilet, however structurally there wasn’t the option.”

The Scottish Sunday Express reported that several women had protested about the mirror after photographs appeared to show male guests with a clear view of women at a row of sinks.

A council spokesman told the Guardian that its licensing standards officers would visit the club, in central Glasgow. Police Scotland, the country’s new single force, confirmed it was investigating after receiving a complaint.