Queensland man spying on flatmate exposed: “I don’t really give a s**t”
A man labelled a “dirty creep” and a “grub” for filming his young female housemate without her knowledge has lashed out after learning his fate in court.
A “creep” who spied on his unsuspecting female flatmate using hidden surveillance cameras in her bedroom and toilet lashed out at a reporter after being confronted about the sick crimes.
Queensland man Angus Gale, 22, pleaded guilty to recording his flatmate but was not in the mood for apologies when approached by Nine reporter Chris Allen in the street.
When asked about the secretly recorded videos, which A Current Affair aired on Monday night, Gale shot back: “I don’t really give a s**t.”
The confrontation quickly escalated to a fiery spray at Allen, during which Gale unleashed a barrage of foul-mouthed insults.
“I don’t care you f**king bigwigs. I don’t give a f**k. You c**ts come from f**king Brisbane to tell me this shit. I’m going to work. F**k off. Go away,”
Woman’s sickening discovery about “creep” flatmate
Hannah Rutledge, 21, shared an apartment with Gale after meeting him through her former partner and a work colleague.
But she had no idea he had obsessively spied on her every move for 20 months - watching her as she changed, slept, went to the toilet and showered.
“The police had found images of me sleeping half-naked and also videos of people using the bathroom where the iPhone had been set up behind the toilet recording people,” she told ACA.
The true scope of Gale’s actions came to light during court proceedings.
In early June, NewsCorp reported he would enter Hannah’s bedroom, install hidden cameras, and then retreat to his own room to monitor the footage.
This disturbing pattern persisted for ten months until Ms Rutledge stumbled upon one of the cameras while cleaning.
It was cleverly concealed beneath the PlayStation remote on her TV console, pointed towards her cupboard and mirror.
Ms Rutledge removed the SD card from the small box camera and downloads its contents onto her laptop.
To her horror, she discovered video clips of Gale’s face setting up the camera and even footage of herself undressing.
On another occasion, after taking a shower, she noticed that her blinds had been raised to make room for an iPhone propped up on her window sill and recording.
Hannah’s mother Anne Campbell encouraged her to report the matter to police.
Slap on the wrist for spying on flatmate
During the investigation, police found a series of incriminating images on his computer, including three pictures of her asleep in bed and three of her using the toilet.
The Warwick Magistrates Court heard that Gale was the sole breadwinner for his young family and had been struggling with mental health issues.
He pleaded guilty to one count of “recording in breach of privacy” and was given a sentence of 18 months of supervised release with no conviction or fine.
The case outcome left Hannah and her family deeply disappointed and distressed.
“She has gone through months of hell, he traumatised my baby,” Ms Campbell said outside of court.
ACA host Allison Langdon didn’t mince words when discussing Gale’s actions, labelling him a “dirty creep” and a “grub.”
“You were right to report it Hannah despite the outcome,” she said.
“It’s hard to believe, right? No conviction or fine because of his age? – he’s not 12, he’s 22 and a grub”.
The matter is currently under review by a senior officer from the Darling Downs District.