A man who used covert cameras to film his 14-year-old stepdaughter showering also took an indecent video of his own nine-year daughter having a bath.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The 37-year-old hid the cameras, used also to take photographs of the naked teenager, amongst towels and dirty clothes in the bathroom.
He shared the home with his partner and six children, Albury Local Court has heard, but the nine-year-old was his only biological child.
The footage and images of his stepdaughter were then sent to East Albury man Luke Sheil, who recently pleaded guilty to his involvement through his possession and dissemination of the child abuse material.
The stepfather, who cannot be identified, connected the cameras, which had mini-SD cards, to his mobile phone using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
The material was then accessed using two apps on his phone.
The court was told the footage of his own daughter and a stepdaughter aged eight "began innocently".
But he then moved the camera lens on to their genital and chest areas. Police also later found him in possession of child abuse material involving other underage victims.
The man, appearing via a video link to Junee jail, pleaded guilty to five charges, including four on which he was committed for sentence before the District Court in Albury.
These comprised charges of disseminate child abuse material, possess child abuse material, produce child abuse material and two counts of using a child aged 14 years or over to make child abuse material.
Magistrate Melissa Humphreys further remanded the man in custody to appear in the District Court via a video link on March 11, when a sentence date will be set.
Sheil, who is free on bail, pleaded guilty last week to charges of possessing child abuse material and the dissemination of child abuse material.
He will be sentenced on March 26.
Ms Humphreys was told, in a set of Director of Public Prosecutions facts, that the other man had shared custody of the six children.
His offending came to light through information provided to Albury police on July 8.
Police armed with a search warrant went to his Albury district home the following day, the officers quickly finding a mobile phone just inside the front door.
He admitted it was his phone. A routine search revealed the offender had filmed his stepdaughter while naked in the shower on "multiple occasions".
It turned out he had done this nine times between September 22, 2022, and July 9, 2023, with the offending material comprised of 37 images and four videos.
These were then forwarded to Sheil, now aged 34, via the Telegram app.
"The offender and Sheil would discuss the video and images of the (stepdaughter), along with how to capture better images and angles," the court heard.
"The offender agreed each time to capture more footage and told Sheil he would continue to try, but only having access to the complainant every second week prevented him from trying any sooner."
On May 23, 2023, the men shared more than 100 images of other "unknown" children as well as web links to additional child abuse material.
Police then found, during their search, two more mobile phones plus a laptop computer, for which the man provided his password while suggesting he "possibly" attempted to view and store other child abuse material.
Further analysis of the man's devices uncovered additional child abuse material, comprising 66 images and access to 148 videos.
