Daughters angry over hidden bathroom camera

Updated

March 19, 2012 12:24:54

A man who set up a bathroom camera to indecently film his daughters now regrets his offending but cannot explain what motivated his crimes, the Adelaide District Court has been told.

How can you be with someone I loved and trusted for 20 years to one day find out that person has lied and abused all of us for a disgusting and disturbing crime?

Police raided the family’s western suburbs home last June, suspecting the 50-year-old man had been downloading child pornography.

They found more than 2,000 child pornography files on his computer and also found films of the man’s daughters undressing and showering.

Prosecutor Robert Ford said the camera had been hidden on a shelf.

“A total of 23 movie files were found on the hard drive, containing images which had been recorded in the bathroom at [the man’s] home. These recordings had been made through the use of a small camera which had been placed on a storage shelf in the bathroom,” he said.

He argued an immediate custodial sentence was warranted.

“It involved an invasion of privacy of these young ladies,” he told the court.

Regret

The man’s lawyer, Michael Lutt, said his client could not explain why he committed the crimes.

“It may well be it was done because he was curious to see if he could replicate the types of images he had seen himself, and there was possibly an element of chance … but essentially he’s unable to explain what it was that motivated him to engage in that behaviour,” he said.

“He does have some insight into the wrongfulness of his conduct. His time in custody has been therapeutic and he has had a long time to reflect on it.”

“He does sincerely regret his offending.”

The victims told the court they felt embarrassed, angry and depressed.

Their mother said she was shocked and horrified when she found what her partner had done.

“How can you be with someone I loved and trusted for 20 years to one day find out that person has lied and abused all of us for a disgusting and disturbing crime?” she said in her victim statement.

“The emotional impact this has had on me as a wife and mother was one of confusion, shock, grief, distress and embarrassment.”

The court heard the man had been on a significant salary and the family has been financially crippled since he was taken into custody.

He is to be sentenced next month.

Topics:
courts-and-trials,
sexual-offences,
crime,
law-crime-and-justice,
sa,
adelaide-5000,
australia

First posted

March 19, 2012 12:23:07

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