Chiropractor Peter Snodgrass faces victims who he secretly filmed in vulnerable states at his Rostrevor practice
A chiropractor who spent years secretly filming his vulnerable clients — and whose identity also remained secret — has faced them in court as they laid out their pain.
- Chiropractor ‘secretly, indecently filmed women and children’
- Pervert chiro admits guilt, but identity remains suppressed
- Unmasked: Peter Snodgrass indecently filmed hundreds of clients
For years, chiropractor Peter Snodgrass encouraged his patients to better themselves, telling them greatness was a choice and warning “a death by a thousand cuts” could lessen their lives.
All the while, he was using hidden cameras to film those women — including girls and teenagers — in their most vulnerable moments, as they changed for treatments or X-rays.
On Monday, Snodgrass sat in the District Court dock as those he betrayed outlined the impact his vile crimes have had on their lives.
One woman, who cannot be identified, said Snodgrass had spent his life preaching integrity without demonstrating any to “those who once held him in the highest esteem”.
“I trusted this man with my spine and my mindset … he told us to set high standards for ourselves, that we could be great at any time or ordinary at any time, it was a choice,” she said.
“He stood there in front of his favourite red wall, preaching to us, and on the other side of the wall was the hidden camera he used to betray us.
“Peter once told me about the concept of death by a thousand cuts … he has cut us all, not fatally but enough to inflict pain over and over.”
Snodgrass, 50, pleaded guilty to 216 charges stemming from the secret filming of clients, as well as the indecent assault of some others, at his Rostrevor practice.
Between 2012 and 2017, he set up a fixed camera to film women in the changeroom but on two occasions used a handheld camera to film clients as he massaged them.
Snodgrass pleaded guilty, in the Adelaide Magistrates Court, in December 2017 telling investigators he believed he had filmed 400 people while driven by a “sex addiction”.
Despite his guilty plea, and submissions by the media, his identity remained suppressed for a further five months until he faced the District Court.
Snodgrass’ case was then referred to the Supreme Court, with prosecutors saying he should be declared incapable of controlling his sexual instincts.
On Monday, the court heard some of Snodgrass’ victims did not believe the allegations at first, and had been prepared to give “glowing references” on his behalf.
They described their shock upon being asked to identify themselves and, in some cases, their underage daughters in his footage.
“Your well-crafted, friendly charisma was used for evil instead of good … you have violated my daughter,” one said.
Another victim said Snodgrass had no excuse for his offending, regardless of his claims of addiction.
She said he had easy access to treatment resources but chose not to pursue them.
“He lectured us on integrity, all the while making life choices that he knew were despicable,” she said.
“He made a choice.”
Other women spoke of ongoing fear they were being filmed in their daily lives, or that Snodgrass’ videos would be — or had already been — distributed over the internet.
They mourned the loss of their privacy, the violation of their bodies and a total loss of trust in male medical practitioners and, in some cases, men in general.
One woman said she turned to Snodgrass for help recovering from the physical consequences of being sexually assaulted, only to be assaulted again by him.
They deemed his crimes “unforgivable” and said they had no interest in hearing or reading Snodgrass’ letter of apology.
One woman told Snodgrass: “I have read your apology, and you do not deserve my sympathy.”
Snodgrass then read his letter aloud, expressing his “shame and remorse” for his “inexcusable” acts.
He said he should have, but failed to, seek help for “years of unresolved grief and trauma” rather than “losing” himself “in a world of pornography and sexual gratification”.
“It became a distorted world of objectification to hide what was happening inside of me... I’m truly, truly sorry,” he said.
Justice Anne Bampton remanded Snodgrass in custody for further sentencing submissions next month.