Alexander Andrew Canning caught with 290 upskirt videos taken of girls and women in Gold Coast shopping centres
A Coast man spent months stalking girls and women in shopping centres to take “upskirt” videos. Some of his victims were dressed in school uniforms. The man says he was taking MDMA and “magic mushrooms daily”.
Police & Courts
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A Gold Coast man spent months stalking girls and women around shopping centres to take hundreds of “upskirt” videos.
In total, Alexander Andrew Canning targeted 33 girls and women to capture more than 290 videos up their skirts and shorts, the Southport District Court was told on Tuesday.
The videos were taken in shopping centres across the Gold Coast and Brisbane.
Some of the females captured were in school uniform.
Canning pleaded guilty for multiple charges, including 28 counts of recordings in breach of privacy, four counts of attempted recordings in breach of privacy and one count of indecent treatment of a child and possessing a dangerous drug.
The only person who caught Canning taking the video was a 14-year-old stranger at H&M in Westfield Coomera, whose mum took the matter to police.
Police were able to identify the 33-year-old via CCTV.
The CCTV showed Canning following the teenager around the store for about five minutes.
Police searched Canning’s home and found the hundreds of videos on his phone.
During that search police discovered the 33-year-old had targeted four women in Queen Street Mall on November 26, 2020 – just hours after he had appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court for common assault.
Judge Katherine McGinness sentenced Canning to 18 months’ prison, to be suspended after he served four months. She also ordered he be placed on probation for two years after his release from custody.
She said the case had an impact on the teenager who caught Canning taking the video.
“She was a vulnerable young girl who has now made changes to how she dresses due to your treatment,” Judge McGinness said.
Crown prosecutor Christopher Cook said Canning would “target young girls” and “stalk them for a period of time”.
In one case, Canning followed a woman through a shopping centre from City Beach, to Bras n Things and then to Myer.
He took videos of women in a number of different stores, including Kmart, Woolworths, Big W, news agencies, chemists, discount shops and an op shop.
Defence barrister Nick McGhee, instructed by Howden Saggers Lawyers, said Canning was remorseful for his actions and was undergoing counselling.
He said at the time of offending he had lost his job and his brother was fighting a terminal illness.
Mr McGhee said Canning was taking MDMA and “magic mushrooms daily”.
“He is a man who, against a background of stressors, had too much time on his hands,” he said.
“He became obsessed with voyeuristic internet content and it became normalised for him.”
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