Allan Cameron: Gateshead photographer jailed for indecent, sexual assault, historical offences
A Lake Macquarie man who ran a “boudoir” type photography company has been sentenced in court after preying on women as they posed for him in his backyard studio.
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An amateur Lake Macquarie photographer who took advantage of “vulnerable” aspiring models in his backyard studio, and was also charged with historical sexual assault offences from almost four decades ago, has been jailed for at least eight years.
Allan Todd Cameron — who ran photography company Primeval Edge — lured a number of woman into his studio at Gateshead, who expected to have “boudoir” or glamour shots, and proceeded to indecently assault or in some cases rape them.
The now 57-year-old was arrested in October 2017 after seven woman came forward with complaints against him over a five-year period between 2011 and 2016.
Following a trial earlier this year, Cameron was found guilty of nine counts of indecent assault and five counts of sexual intercourse without consent.
Police facts detailed on one occasion he pinched the nipples of a woman while she was doing a naked photo shoot, while in another session cuddled and squeezed the bottom of another woman saying, “I’ve missed you, you’ve got a nice bum”.
The court heard how one woman was “embarrassed” when photos of her genitals were taken before he pulled her onto his lap by the hips and told her she had a “pretty” vagina.
In another session, the same woman was sexually touched while she was in an inflatable pool.
Police facts said Cameron told one woman, “I’d never f**k you, I’d have a heart attack”, while a woman who went to get a head shot was told to get naked before he made sexual comments towards her as she posed on all fours.
Before his trial, Cameron also pleaded guilty to historical offences of carnal knowledge of a girl under 16.
The court heard in 1982, when he was 19, Cameron pursued a 13-year-old girl by going to her bus stop as she went to school.
Details revealed when she was 14 and 15, he forced himself on her on a mattress in the back of his car and after her school formal.
Police facts said Cameron also sexually assaulted one of her friends on Valentine’s day.
In a packed courtroom of his victims, Cameron sat with his head down and his eyes closed as Judge Gartelmann read out his decision.
In relation to the current offences, Judge Gartelmann said Cameron had violated the expectations the victims had when he committed offences against them.
“They were committed in studio or other isolated locations, the victims were vulnerable, and the fact he repeatedly committed offences under-minds his opportunism,” he said.
He was jailed for 12 years, with a non-parole period of eight years.
With time already spent in custody, he will be eligible for release in January 2027.