- Friday 10 September 2010
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Man hid to film girl in shower
A Wairarapa man who filmed his teenage stepdaughter in the shower has been granted name suppression while the court decides whether she should be told the recording exists.
The man, 47, waited for the girl in a raised cupboard then filmed her through a peephole for nearly 20 minutes while zooming in on her breasts and genitals.
He pleaded guilty and was convicted in the Masterton District Court yesterday on one count of possession of an intimate visual recording.
His lawyer, Jock Blathwayt, spoke on the issue of name suppression. He said identifying his client would reveal the crime to the victim, while suppression would give the court time to decide whether the girl should be told about the recording.
''If what we've been told is correct, she's never been told of the existence of the tape. She might discover for the first time what has happened,'' he said.
Judge Oke Blaikie agreed with Mr Blathwayt's submission, granting the suppression order so a decision could be reached on whether the girl should be told about the DVD before the man's sentencing.
Judge Blaikie said his ''preliminary view'' was the girl ''should be informed'' about the DVD, given her current age.
The man had begun a relationship with the girl's mother in the late 1990s.
In 2006, the man hid himself in the bathroom cupboard, elevated 2m above the shower, filming his step-daughter through a hole for 17 minutes _ during which time he zoomed in on her breasts, bottom and genital area.
He then waited for an unknown time before getting out of the cupboard and hiding the DVD in the garage.
Early in 2007, the girl's mother found the DVD and confronted her husband about it. He confessed to filming the girl and left the family home.
Initially the mother kept the DVD secret because she did not know what to do with the recording and wanted to protect her daughter and the rest of the family. However, two years later the DVD was brought to the attention of police during the investigation of another matter.
The man admitted to police he had planned the filming for days and said he had ''always enjoyed a good relationship with the victim and that when she had begun to physically mature he found himself attracted to her''.
He denied ever watching the recording and said he had immediately felt ashamed as he hid the DVD in the garage.
The man was remanded on bail for a report before sentencing next month. The charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison.
