Daniel Nuumaalii: Former carer sentenced for illegal videos

A victims of a man who took illegal private videos of his clients with disabilities and blew vape smoke in their faces while they were vulnerable were left ‘powerless to his ‘abuse’.

A former western Sydney care worker who filmed intimate images of people under his care, including videos of them in the shower and on the toilet, could walk free from jail later this year.

Daniel Sasulu Nuumaalii, 21, of Eastern Creek, pleaded guilty to 22 counts of intentionally recording an intimate image without consent, four counts of intentionally distributing an intimate image without consent, and one count of common assault.

According to police facts, Nuumaalii was stopped by police on Oxford St, Paddington, on December 20, 2019, in relation to unrelated drug charges.

Daniel Nuumaalii was convicted for taking illegal photos of several people in the bathroom.

Police found several video files depicting illegal images of his clients on two mobile phones.

The videos included shots of his clients in the shower, on the toilet, and a particularly disturbing video of a person’s incontinence pad being changed.

Police also found a video of Nuumaalii blowing vape smoke into a client’s face before slapping them on the cheek.

Nuumaalii also recorded videos of himself having sexual intercourse with a woman not connected to his employment, and illegally recorded intimate images other women had shared with him on social media.

In Penrith Local Court, one of Nuumaalii’s victim’s sister, who can’t be named for legal reasons, read out her victim impact statement, saying the clients had “endured abuse” and were “powerless”.

“(They) became a different person,” she said. “(They) gained weight, were anxious, and scared by loud noises.

Daniel Nuumaalii appeared emotionless when his sentence was read out by Magistrate Carl Milovanovich.

“We were shocked and disgusted that someone we trusted had betrayed us in unthinkable ways.

“It’s a wound that time will not heal.”

The DPP prosecutor said the damage to the community moved “beyond that ordinarily seen” in similar cases.

“It undermines the faith and trust placed in services designed to assist people,” he said.

“We say the harm to the community is very significant.”

Nuumaalii’s lawyer told the court his client was “immature”, “puerile, and juvenile”, and argued the criminality of the offending was less because of this.

“There’s no chance he’ll be involved in caring again, that just won’t happen,” he said.

“His family are now aware of his problems.”

Daniel Nuumaalii was arrested after he was stopped by police in relation to unrelated drug charges in the city.

Magistrate Carl Milovanovich said the offending was “unusual” because Nuumaalii had a fairly normal upbringing.

“These matters are extremely serious,” he said.

“There are more than just eight victims, there’s all the family members involved – it’ll take a long time for them to come to terms with the breach of trust.

“I can’t disregard the offences are aggravated by the nature of the victims. These were vulnerable young people with special needs and disabilities.”

Magistrate Milovanovich sentenced Nuumaalii to three-and-a-half years in jail with a non-parole period of 18 months.

He will be first eligible for parole on October 30, 2021.