Nisal Herath Mudalige fronts court over stalking, child abuse material allegations

A man who was allegedly busted with child abuse material is also accused of installing a secret camera in a sharehome’s bathroom.

A man accused of receiving child abuse material has told a court he only installed a secret camera in his sharehouse’s bathroom because he wanted to catch his girlfriend being unfaithful.

Nisal Herath Mudalige, 27, appeared at Heidelberg Magistrates Court on Tuesday after being charged with allegedly receiving child abuse material and multiple counts of stalking.

Mudalige, from Melbourne’s north, has indicated he will defend these charges.

Nisal Mudalige is charged with allegedly receiving child abuse material. Generic image.

Police will allege Mudalige received more than 20 different types of child abuse material via the app Telegram on his phone.

The court heard in an interview with police Mudalige said he did not know why the messages were on his phone

“(Some) of these messages come there automatically to my phone. I don’t know who sends them,” he said in the police interview.

The matter was mentioned at Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court. File image.

The court also heard he was charged with putting a secret camera, shaped to look like a charger, in the home he shared with five other people, including his girlfriend.

Magistrate John Bentley said he was “fascinated” to hear how Mudalige would defend the charge.

“Because there’s only one explanation I can see — it’s because he’s a pervert,” he said.

Defence lawyer Ella Trickey said her client had given an explanation in the police interview.

“(He said) he put the camera in there in an attempt to catch his girlfriend engaging in infidelity,” Ms Trickey said.

The court heard Mudalige’s girlfriend was a co-accused in this matter and was allegedly aware of the camera being in the bathroom.

The matter was adjourned for mention at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in November.