Man fined for shower films
A MAN who recorded himself setting up his mobile phone in a bathroom to film men showering without their consent has been handed an 18-month probation order.
Shaquille Jordan Phillip Georgetown, 26, pleaded guilty to charges of recordings in breach of privacy, possess tainted property, and possess utensils or pipes that had been used.
On August 9, officers searched Georgetown’s home on Palm Island, where they seized his Oppo mobile phone and a plastic bong.
Officers noticed there had been some content recently deleted from the phone.
A forensic search of the phone revealed a large amount of video content, which included recordings of three different men showering in a house on Palm Island in June.
One recording showed Georgetown setting up his phone under the sink in the bathroom, before filming himself in an attempt to check the angle of what he would be recording. The victims, aged 19, 23 and 28 were identified and interviewed by police.
The 23-year-old victim told police he had known Georgetown all his life, and he was “shocked” because he saw him “like a brother”.
The 28-year-old man was recorded for 14 minutes before he saw the camera, walked over to the sink where the phone was placed and turned off the recording.
He told police he deleted the video off the phone, and spoke about it with Georgetown two weeks later.
Georgetown told him that in order to delete the file off his phone he had to delete it twice, and lied about why he was recording, saying the man’s partner had asked him to record him in the shower.
Speaking with police, the 28-year-old said he “felt sick” knowing the video still existed, and he’d given no permission to be filmed.
Police prosecutor Senior Sergeant Felicity Nalder said the “concerning” offending was unusual, and it was clear the victims were upset about what occurred. Sergeant Nalder said the location of the offending was “like a family home” in which the victims should have felt safe.
Georgetown’s defence lawyer said he had no criminal history, had deleted his social media accounts, and had recently found religion, which she said would “play a major part in his life moving forward”.
Georgetown’s lawyer said he’d left Palm Island to take care of his sick father and his 15-year-old brother, and asked that no conviction be recorded so he could find employment in the aged-care sector.
Magistrate Ken Taylor said while Georgetown’s offending wasn’t sophisticated, he held concern over the breach of the victims’ privacy.
Mr Taylor said he considered Georgetown’s need for rehabilitation and his obligations to his sick father and younger brother.
Georgetown was sentenced to 18 months’ probation.
He was fined $650 for the tainted property and utensil charges.