Adrian Battistello: Pervert burglar took videos of naked woman
Cops were disgusted when they looked at a thief’s phone and found disturbing videos the filthy fiend had filmed.
South East
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A sicko stalker who covertly took videos of a woman while she was in the shower and getting dressed and then burglarising her house has been jailed.
Adrian Battistello pleaded guilty to 11 stalking, burglary, theft, drugs, weapons and bail breach charges at the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
The court heard on the evening of April 12 this year he broke into the woman’s house, stole her phone and rummaged through her underwear drawer.
But the Officer 25-year-old had left behind his fingerprints on a flyscreen frame, and was arrested two weeks later.
Cops then asked to look through his phone, and he said yes.
Officers were shocked to find two videos of the woman he had stolen from.
One was seven minutes long and consisted of vision of her naked in the shower, and the second was six minutes in duration and involved footage of the victim in her underwear as she was getting dressed.
Timestamps revealed Battistello had covertly filmed the woman earlier that evening from outside her bedroom window.
When she left the house he then broke in, took her phone and rifled through her panties and bras.
During his interview he told police he did the burglary and admitting filming the woman, saying he didn’t know her but drove past her house from time to time.
Battistello also admitted being the getaway driver for another burglary in Pearcedale, carrying a baseball bat in his car and possessing acid-like illegal drugs, cannabis and Xanax.
A harrowing statement from the victim, who had no idea she had been filmed until she was told by police, was read out in court detailing how the thought of someone watching her had made her feel violated, scared, disgusted and anxious.
She said she had constant nightmares, had sleep paralysis believing someone was in her bedroom, and was paranoid about where the videos may have ended up.
Defence lawyer Nick Power said his client had no priors of any kind, he had been cooperative with police and had made full admission about his crimes.
He said Battistello had been an ice user since the age of 17, but was keen to have residential rehabilitation treatment when he was released.
Magistrate Brian Clifford said this offending was “really, really serious”.
“Residential burglaries… cause people enormous anxiety,” Mr Clifford said.
“This is even more aggravated by the fact you filmed (her) showering and dressing in her bedroom.
“It had a grave impact on the welfare and the wellbeing emotionally, psychologically and financially of the victim.”
Battistello was jailed for a total of 21 months, with a non-parole period of 15 months minus 121 days he has already served.
He was also fined $1500 for the drug possessions, weapons and driving crimes.
