Source : Perth Now news
A serial upskirter whose phone contained more than 100 videos of young women secretly filmed in public toilets has heard of his lecherous behaviour’s “profound impact” on one of his victims.
Bao Phuc Cao, 23, a Vietnamese biomedicine student at The University of Melbourne, appeared for sentencing in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court after he was caught filming a woman in a public toilet at a Docklands shopping centre in February 2025.
The court was told the woman “panicked” after she noticed Cao’s phone pointed at her from under a cubical wall.
Security was informed and swooped on Cao, who was in a nearby toilet cubical.
Cao pleaded guilty on Thursday, March 5, but his hearing was adjourned as the court awaited a victim impact statement.
He sat in court on Friday with his hands clasped and head often bowed, dressed in a navy sweater atop a white collared shirt, black trousers and white shoes.
The statement was not read before the court, but magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz said Cao’s victim had been deeply affected by the incident.
“This has had a profound impact on the complainant,” Ms Mykytowycz said.
“She remains hyper vigilant … it affects her ability to use public rest rooms at work and in public space.
“This is non-contact offending, but it is offending of a most intimate kind.”
The court was told Cao had been sentenced to a community corrections order in May last year for “effectively identical offending” against one known victim.
The prosecutor said police had seized Cao’s phone containing “over 100 different videos” of unknown people whom he had secretly filmed.
Outside the courthouse, Cao was shielded from a media scrum by the son of a man sentenced to imprisonment in a previous unrelated matter.
Cao attempted to hide from the cameras behind his lawyer, then his laptop before the man put his arm around him and led him away from the pack in what appeared to be a spontaneous act to support Cao.
It is not clear if the two men knew each other, and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing by the other man.
Since his previous sentencing, Cao had been complying with orders, not missing any appointments, and had been referred to an offence-specific program, the court was told.
A conviction wasn’t recorded against Cao, but he must comply with a good behaviour order and his already-in-place community corrections orders.
“If you don’t comply with corrections orders that is going to put you in breach,” Ms Mykytowycz said.
“Subject to nature of the breach, they can cancel the orders and resentence you.”
