Principe Antonio: Frenchs Forest man pleads guilty to ‘upskirting’ girls with dashcam on his shoe

Sickening facts have emerged in court of an upskirter’s perving spree using a dashcam on his shoe to film girls and young mums in Sydney shopping malls.

Principe Antonio, 55, of Frenchs Forest, outside Manly Local Court where he faced charges of filming a person's private parts without consent. Picture: Manly Daily

Disturbing facts have emerged in court of a northern beaches’ upskirter’s three-month perving spree using a dashcam on his shoe to illegally film girls and women in shopping malls.

Principe Antonio, 55, shot video footage up a 12-year-old’s tennis skirt while she browsed for books in a Kmart store.

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.

He told police he got the sickening filming idea from watching upskirter videos on the internet.

The father of two from Frenchs Forest was only caught after his 12-year-old victim spotted the dashcam on his right foot while he filmed her at the Kmart department store at Warriewood Square on July 22 last year.

Principe Antonio, 55, outside Manly Local Court on Thursday. Picture: Supplied

His other 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 Local Court on Thursday.

Antonio has pleaded guilty to 10 counts of film person’s private parts without their consent.

Principe Antonio, 55, of Frenchs Forest, outside Manly Local Court in August last year.

He also pleaded guilty to one count of possess child abuse material after a number of internet videos, which he did not produce, were found on digital storage devices under his bed.

His perverted filming spree began in April last year, according to an agreed set of facts tendered to court.

“He began filming up skirts about a month after the camera was delivered, sometimes at Warringah Mall or Chatswood,” the facts document stated.

“(Antonio) filmed women of various ages and did not have a specific target.

“When he decided to film someone, he would attach the camera to his shoe and switch it on by pressing a button.”

Principe Antonio, 55, of Frenchs Forest, outside Manly Local Court.

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.”

Principe Antonio will be sentenced in Manly Local Court on June 11. Picture: Monique Harmer

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.

The facts document stated that 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 document stated.

He will be sentenced in Manly Court on June 11.

Bail was continued.