Grub former GJK boss Douglas Melville escapes conviction for upskirting female staff

A grub boss who upskirted female staff with mini spy cams claimed he was just testing out the cameras because he wanted to film “wildlife”.

Grub former GJK boss Douglas Melville has avoided a conviction for upskirting female staff. Picture: generic/unrelated.

A grub boss who hid spy cameras under desks to upskirt female staff and live stream the footage back to his mobile phone has avoided jail.

Douglas Melville, 59, was sentenced in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to an 18-month Community Correction Order after pleading guilty to two charges of upskirting.

However, the sex fiend escaped conviction even after the court was told he viewed the illegally obtained footage at his GJK Facility Services work desk.

The former GJK general manager camouflaged the mini “fish eye” cameras among cables under the desks of multiple female staff in early-2020.

Melville, an Australian Army veteran, then streamed the lewd footage to his iPhone.

Melville’s depravity was uncovered by a victim who spotted an upskirt stream on the fiend’s phone.

The victim, who kept an eagle eye on Melville, observed him place a white hard-drive over his phone every time he left his desk.

Later, the victim was horrified to discover footage from under her own desk appear on Melville’s phone.

The shocked victim looked under her desk and discovered a small black fish eye camera “pointing towards her”, the court was told.

The victim later recalled that Melville had been under the desks fiddling with cables on multiple occasions.

Melville told staff he needed to fix the cables because they had come loose, the court heard.

The victim contacted police who raided GJK’s Collingwood office and Melville’s Surrey Hills home on March 6 last year.

Investigators eyeballed Melville emerging from under his desk with a small USB camera shortly after entering the office.

Police arrested Melville then seized the camera, a laptop, a USB stick and his iPhone.

Investigators seized more devices from Melville’s home which contained almost four hours of lewd footage of his victims.

Melville admitted setting the cameras up for “about a week” but he was only interested in legs and “that’s all”.

The court heard Melville earlier said the purpose his sordid set up was to test out a new camera he purchased to film “wildlife”.

Douglas Melville.

Melville, a husband and father of a daughter, sat quietly in court via an internet link as prosecutor JJ Jassar read out statements from his victims.

Mr Jassar, who told the court both victims felt “humiliated” by Melville’s crimes, said one woman suffers nightmares and “cries everyday”.

The victim also constantly checks under desks and tables for cameras and is frightened by older men especially those who look like Melville, Mr Jassar told the court.

The victim, via Mr Jassar, said Melville committed a “substantial breach of trust” and the creep’s offending was “completely disgusting”.

“How would you feel if this happened to your daughter?” Mr Jassar asked on behalf of the victim.

“What would you do to protect your daughter (if similar offending occurred)?.”

Another victim said she would not be able to continue in her own career, doesn't feel comfortable around older men, and had trust issues, mental health issues

Mr Jassar said he hoped he did the victims justice via his submissions to the court

Magistrate Kate Hawkins noted a “more serious” charge of stalking was withdrawn.

“There is no doubt this is serious offending,” she said.

“Clearly women should be able to go to work without experiencing this most blatant breach of trust.

“(This was) extremely poor treatment of the women involved.”

Magistrate Hawkins also noted Melville was now working in “industrial relations” after studying the field at tertiary level.

“I would’ve thought you of all people would be aware of how serious this type of behaviour is at the workplace,” Magistrate Hawkins said.

Melville was spared conviction on both upskirt charges but Magistrate Hawkins warned he may be required to undertake sex offender treatment if “deemed suitable”.

It’s understood Melville left GJK — a major cleaning contractor which holds the Yarra Trams contract — last year.

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