Baldivis man jailed for indecent dealings with his de facto daughter and upskirting three other women

A Baldivis man who was jailed for two years for secretly recording his de facto daughter as he masturbated outside the bathroom window while she showered, has had three months added to his sentence after being found guilty of filming up the skirts of three other women. The 33-year-old man appeared in Perth District Court on December 21 charged with three counts of indecently recording a de facto child, one count of indecently dealing with a de facto child, one count of indecently dealing with a child of or over the age of 13 and under the age of 16, and one count of possession of child exploitation material. State prosecutor Stephen Bedells said the offender lived with his partner and her three children from a prior relationship, and their two children in Baldivis. On a date unknown between December 31, 2020, and February 1, 2021, the 14-year-old victim was showering at their home when she noticed her stepfather standing outside the bathroom window. She saw him recording on his mobile phone while he was masturbating and told him to leave as she got out of the shower. Between February 1 and 27, the stepfather recorded the victim showering once more, as well as her 14-year-old friend during a sleepover at their house. Between January 1 and January 19, 2021, the offender also used his mobile phone to record his stepdaughter through her bedroom window while she was changing her clothes, exposing her breasts. Mr Bedells said the offender was arrested on March 30 in Warnbro and when police reviewed his phone they found it contained child exploitation material. The offender’s lawyer Graeme Allen said his client had no prior criminal history until these charges and had deleted the recordings off his phone after he took them. Mr Allen said the Baldivis man behaved totally out of character as a result of stress from his family life as well as his new gardening business but was extremely remorseful. Magistrate Linda Petrusa told the man his behaviour towards his stepdaughter and her friend was “appalling”. “You recorded them during private moments when they had every right to not only their privacy but to feel secure. You did so, at least on one occasion, for sexual gratification,” Magistrate Petrusa said. “This was a gross breach of her privacy but also of the trust given to you as her stepfather.” Magistrate Petrusa sentenced the man to two years imprisonment backdated to March 30 and made him eligible for parole. The offender also appeared in Rockingham Magistrates Court last Wednesday charged with four counts of recording women without their knowledge. Between March 6 and July 30, 2021, the man secretly recorded up the skirts of three women while providing quotes for gardening work at their respective homes. He also secretly recorded a fourth woman while she was in a sports bra and leggings while also giving her a gardening quote. Magistrate Vivien Edwards sentenced the offender to a further three months in jail, calling the acts “utterly unacceptable and abhorrent”.