John Kotsiou jailed for filming women in public toilets, including at Adelaide University

A former Coles worker has been slammed as “shameful and disgusting” after he secretly filmed multiple women using public toilets, including at an Adelaide university.

A serial pervert who filmed women in public toilets, including at Adelaide University didn’t stop his “deeply concerning” behaviour until his third arrest.

John Kotsiou’s vile actions were slammed by a magistrate as “shameful and disgusting” after he recorded women in the private act.

During Kotsiou’s sentencing, the Adelaide Magistrates Court heard a diner of the Soho Hotel in Flinders St saw Kotsiou continually go in and out of the bathroom on February 19, 2021.

“She went into the bathroom and saw your mobile phone within the cubicle … the phone was recording footage,” Magistrate John Wells said.

The woman confronted Kotsiou, 51, who tried to intimidate her into giving the phone back.

Police were called and found he had recorded multiple people using the bathroom.

Kotsiou struck again in a public toilet at Adelaide University on September 15, 2021.

“Three women went into another cubicle and one of them spied your camera resting on a bin angled into the cubicle in which you were sitting,” Mr Wells said.

Security were called and found Kotsiou in the neighbouring cubicle, with police finding he had filmed three women using the toilet.

Kotsiou still did not stop there – this time recording people in the public toilet of a Franklin St apartment block on June 23.

A woman went into the toilet and noticed the adjacent toilet cubicle was occupied and saw Kotsiou’s phone pointing into the cubicle she was using.

Police arrived and found three separate videos of women using the toilet on his phone.

Kotsiou, of Plympton, pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent filming.

John Kotsiou was jailed for five counts of indecent filming. Picture: iStock.

Sarah Willis, for Kotsiou, told the court he had a long standing diagnosis of voyeurism.

Voyeurism is gaining sexual pleasure from watching others when they are naked or engaged in sexual activity.

“He never plans this out in any great detail, it’s generally a spur of the moment thing,” Ms Willis said.

The court heard Kotsiou was doing well after being released from jail for similar offending but lost his mother in 2019, which led to his derailment and relapse.

The court heard Kotsiou had previously worked at Coles and a fruit and vegetable shop.

Mr Wells said Kotsiou had a “deeply worrying” criminal history, with prior convictions for indecent filming and indecent assault.

He said he accepted Kotsiou was genuinely sorry and embarrassed of his behaviour but believed he was an “extremely strong” risk of reoffending.

Mr Wells sentenced Kotsiou to 15 months’ jail, with a non-parole period of 10 months.

“Your offending is deeply concerning, your behaviour is shameful, prurient and disgusting,” he said.

“You recorded people involved in a clearly private act.”

The sentence was backdated to August 10.