Principe Antonio, 56: Frenchs Forest man to appeal jail sentence for ‘upskirting’ girls with Dashcam on his shoe
A father of four who filmed the private parts of 15 girls and young women at Sydney shopping centres, using a dashcam tied to his shoe, has been released from jail pending an appeal on the severity of his sentence.
Manly
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A northern beaches’ dad who filmed the private parts of 15 girls and young women in Sydney shopping centres, using a dashcam tied to his shoe, has been released from jail pending an appeal on the severity of his sentence.
Principe Antonio, 56, was jailed by Manly Local Court for 14 months last month after his upskirting spree, which included filming up a 12-year-old girl’s tennis skirt who was shopping at a Kmart.
Antonio even pointed his small $20 cube-shaped camera, which he had attached to a shoelace, up the denim skirt of a young mum pushing a pram.
The father of four has been released on bail while he prepares to make an application to have his jail term reduced or removed.
He has also applied to have his appeal funded by taxpayers, through Legal Aid.
Antonio was arrested after his youngest victim spotted the Dashcam on his right foot while he filmed her at the Kmart in Warriewood Square on July 22 last year.
His other 13 victims, which included female shoppers at Warringah Mall at Brookvale as well as locations at Chatswood, were not able to be identified, according to documents tendered to Manly court.
Antonio pleaded guilty to multiple counts of film person’s private parts without their consent.
He also pleaded guilty to one count of possessing child abuse material after a number of internet pornographic videos, which he did not produce, were found on digital storage devices under his bed.
Antonio also pleaded guilty to possessing two switchblade knives and a baton.
His perverted filming spree began in May last year.
“He began filming up skirts about a month after the camera was delivered, sometimes at Warringah Mall or Chatswood,” the facts sheet tendered to Manly court stated.
“(Antonio) filmed women of various ages and did not have a specific target.”
The court learned that while he was waiting for his wife to finish shopping at Coles, Antonio followed the 12-year-old into Kmart’s book section.
He told police that her pleated mini tennis skirt was the “trigger” for attaching the dashcam to his right shoe lace and then turning it on.
Antonio stood about 30cms from the girl then “inched his foot along the floor, with his toes facing the victim,” the facts document stated.
“(His) foot ended up nearly in between the victim’s feet, under her skirt.”
The girl saw the camera and confronted Antonio.
“Excuse me,” she said. “What do you think you are doing?
“Give me the camera or I’m calling the police.”
Antonio handed her the camera and replied “I’m sorry” and started walking towards the store exit, but was stopped by a female adult shopper who called for a security guard.
When Antonio was arrested by police, they uncovered a SD (secure digital) card and a USB stick “containing multiple upskirt videos of unknown individuals”.
The videos, which ran from between one to four minutes, on the USB were in an album titled “BEAUTS”.
Antonio’s face was captured on some of the dashcam footage, which included a sequence where he followed and filmed a woman pushing a pram, the facts stated.
Magistrate Daniel Reiss said the upskirting was “obviously very planned and executed” and that Antonio had “perverted thoughts and actions”.
Mr Reiss convicted Antonio and handed him an aggregate jail sentence of 14 months, with a non-parole period of six months.
Antonio appeared in Sydney’s King Street District Court on Monday for his severity appeal to be heard.
But he asked for an adjournment because an application for a Legal Aid solicitor to represent him had not been finalised.
Antonio will be back in court on August 1.
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