Car salesman and AFL player Adam Luke Kaufman, 38, slipped phone under shower to watch child

A Rockhampton car salesman who was once paid to play Aussie Rules was busted trying to observe a child in communal shower on the Capricorn Coast using a mobile phone has walked from court with no conviction recorded.

A Rockhampton car salesman who was once paid to play Aussie Rules was busted trying to observe a child in a communal shower on the Capricorn Coast using a mobile phone.

Adam Luke Kaufman, 38, pleaded guilty on December 1 in Rockhampton District Court to one count of observing a person and breaching their privacy.

Crown prosecutor Samantha O’Rourke said Kaufman used the video function in his mobile phone, which he slid under the wall between cubicles in communal showers at Yeppoon’s lagoon, on March 2, 2021, at 2.56pm.

The court heard the 11-year-old female victim noticed the phone and could see her own thigh in the phone’s image.

She immediately covered up and by the time she turned back to look at the phone, it had disappeared.

The child then told her mother what had happened, who told a lifeguard, and by the time Kaufman exited the showers 10 minutes later, many people attempted to confront him over the incident.

Ms O’Rourke said Kaufman told his wife he had heard “two people going at it” and had slipped his phone under the wall to watch.

She said he then denied the offending to police, telling them the child victim must have seen the game on his phone he was playing at the time.

Ms O’Rourke said the Crown accepted Kaufman did not know there was a child in the cubicle next to him.

Judge Paul Smith raised concerns about the incident.

“It’s pretty strange conduct, even if it was adults,” he said.

Ms O’Rourke said the offending was concerning conduct carried out at a popular family public place.

“People are entitled to feel safe in a public place,” she said.

Ms O’Rourke said there was no evidence Kaufman knew the child was there, nor any evidence of what he observed and he was not in possession of any child exploitation material.

Defence barrister Jordan Ahlstrand said his client’s marriage had broken down as a result of the offending.

He said the father of two young girls had disclosed his offending to his mother and siblings.

Mr Ahlstrand said this was opportunistic offending by the car salesman who was unwilling to disclose to the court his current employer.

However, the court heard Kaufman had worked for a prominent car dealership in Rockhampton for the past five years, and for another for 10 years before that.

Mr Ahlstrand said Kaufman had been paid to play Aussie Rules for six months before entering the car sales industry.

Kaufman had been diagnosed with anxiety six months before the incident and placed on medication.

Judge Smith placed Kaufman on a 12-month probation order with no conviction recorded and ordered him to pay $1000 compensation.

“It was clearly reckless conduct, and concerning,” he said.

“Even if two people were in that cubicle, you shouldn’t be doing this.”