Accused Whittlesea Council toilet grub Liam Isherwood charged with possess child abuse material

IDENTITY REVEALED: An accused grub who allegedly filmed council staff on the toilet is suspected of installing spy cams at multiple Melbourne shopping centres.

Accused Melbourne toilet deviant Liam Isherwood was charged with produce intimate image and possess child abuse material. Picture: Supplied.

An accused deviant allegedly set up surveillance cameras inside multiple Melbourne shopping centres and workplaces to secretly film unwitting victims.

Former Whittlesea Council employee Liam Isherwood, 22, fronted Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged with using an optical surveillance device to record persons without consent.

Mr Isherwood, also charged with possess child abuse material, was arrested after he was allegedly caught secretly filming Whittlesea Council employees while they used the toilet.

The investigation erupted after a council employee allegedly caught Mr Isherwood taking photos of him while he used the toilet on April 18 this year.

According to police, Mr Isherwood, who copped 26 charges including produce intimate image, followed another man into the toilet and used his mobile phone to film him about 10.30am.

Senior council staff were alerted to the alleged incident before reporting Mr Isherwood to police.

Mr Isherwood was sacked shortly after the allegations were exposed to senior staff.

Police who investigated Isherwood alleged the accused grub took multiple videos and photos of various staff on multiple occasions between March 7 and April 18.

Mr Isherwood allegedly took the grubby videos and images inside the male staff toilets at the council’s South Morang headquarters.

Isherwood makes a quick get away outside the courthouse.

Mr Isherwood was then allegedly caught with grubby videos and images and child abuse material after he was arrested at his South Morang home on April 19.

Investigators also allegedly discovered evidence Mr Isherwood had secretly filmed inside male toilets at various shopping centres and workplaces going back to 2022.

Mr Isherwood allegedly set up a camera in the staff toilets at Coles Mill Park and secretly filmed various people on multiple occasions between December 2022 and July last year.

Police also alleged Mr Isherwood set up cameras at Highpoint in May 2022 and at Victoria Gardens in Richmond in June 2022.

Mr Isherwood also allegedly set up a secret camera inside male toilets at Westfield Shoppingtown Doncaster in December 2022.

Investigators also alleged Mr Isherwood set up a camera inside the toilets at Plenty Gorge Park on January 22 and 26 last year.

The initial bombshell revelation forced Whittlesea Council to send an all-staff email alerting them to Mr Isherwood’s alleged offending in May.

Council chief executive Craig Lloyd alerted council staff to the “recent safety and security issue” which allegedly occurred at the council’s South Morang offices via email.

Isherwood will face court at a later date.

“I would like to assure you the man charged in relation to this matter is no longer with the organisation,” Mr Lloyd wrote, in the email obtained by the Herald Sun.

Mr Lloyd also informed staff police “unfortunately” allegedly found more images of multiple male staff members on the accused man’s phone.

Police are now “liaising” with the alleged victims as the investigation continues.

“The safety and wellbeing of our people is paramount,” Mr Lloyd wrote.

“We will continue to support our impacted team members and ask that you respect their privacy at this time.”

Mr Lloyd also encouraged staff to use the council’s employee assistance program if they required “addition support”.

The council did not name Mr Isherwood nor did they mention his mum is a senior council manager.

Mr Isherwood was supported at court by his mum who helped his son elude media during a dramatic car escape outside the courthouse.

Mr Isherwood, of South Morang, will front court at a later date.