Alleged peeper caught by students at uni flat

A man allegedly taking photographs through a window of a Dunedin flat has been arrested with the help of students, police say.

The incident unfolded in Dunedin’s student quarter about 11pm on Sunday – the second such incident in less than a week.

Senior Sergeant Mark Donaldson said the man ‘‘appeared to be taking photos’’ through a window of a flat when he was spotted by the students.

Police were called and arrested a 53-year-old man a short time later.

He praised the students for their prompt actions.

Bruce Saxton, a machinist, was charged with burglary and appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday. He would appear again on March 13.

Thousands of students have returned to the city, with the University of Otago’s Orientation Week beginning yesterday.

Donaldson said the incidents of alleged peepers and burglars in the area in less than a week was ‘‘a concern’’.

A 51-year-old recidivist burglar with a penchant for peeping met his match after entering a Leith St flat in the early hours of Thursday morning. A female flatmate said she went into ‘‘shock’’ when she saw an older man hunched over in the kitchen.

She began yelling at the man, who did not turn to face her, but slowly backed out of the flat.

The man was later restrained near the entrance to the university, until police arrived a few minutes later.

The woman said she was shocked to hear from police that the man was a recidivist burglar and peeper.

After the incident Southern police Inspector Kelvin Lloyd encouraged students to lock their flats, as people who committed such offences were ‘‘predators in terms of picking an easy target’’.

There had been several burglary and peeping offences in the student quarter since December and it had been identified as a problem area, he said.