Hong Kong man avoids jail for filming roommate as she showered

Charles Chunyip Chung was in Sydney for a work conference in March when he planted a hidden camera inside a deodorant stick to record his 27-year-old French roommate while she showered at a Bondi Beach hostel.

A Hong Kong man has avoided jail after secretly filming a naked female backpacker in the bathroom of a Bondi Beach hostel.

Charles Chunyip Chung was in Sydney for a work conference in March when he planted a hidden camera inside a deodorant stick to record his 27-year-old French roommate while she showered, agreed facts state.

She raised the alarm and when police searched the 36-year-old before they discovered the smashed camera.

Chung was handed a 12-month community corrections order and a $2,000 fine at Waverley Local Court on Tuesday.

Charles Chunyip Chung avoided jail after secretly filming a naked female backpacker.

“There was clearly an element of planning in this offending and the conduct is repellent,” Magistrate Michael Crompton said.

“The penalty to be imposed must contain a clear message that this conduct is not to be tolerated.”

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Chung arrived at court wearing a black suit but changed into a completely different casual outfit and donned sunglasses and a hat before he ran from the building.

Court documents show on March 24 the French backpacker checked into the Lamrock Lodge Hostel where Chung was already sleeping on the top bunk of their shared room.

Chung changed into a casual outfit before fleeing court.

About 10pm the next evening the woman returned from a day out and made “small talk” with Chung in their room before she entered the ensuite bathroom and began undressing.

After taking a five-minute shower the victim noticed a clear toiletry bag placed on the sink containing a ‘Sure’ brand deodorant stick and a small blue towel.

She soon made the disturbing discovery that the deodorant lid contained a small camera lens attached to wiring which led into the towel, agreed facts state.

With Chung only metres away in the next room, the woman phoned a friend before quickly taking photos and video footage of the lens.

As she left the ensuite, Chung confronted her and asked what was wrong, but she calmly reassured him she was fine before telling hotel reception who then called police.

Chung was booked to fly home to Hong Kong on March 26 but was arrested and thrown behind bars instead.

After searching his property officers found numerous hard drives but “have been unable to ascertain if any of these devices contain images or videos of the pornographic nature which may have been obtained through the use of these types of camera installations”, agreed facts state.

Chung pleaded guilty to installing a device to film another person, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

But Mr Crompton took into account a psychologist report and noted the foreign national has no criminal history.