William Gerardus Rush Huybregts granted bail accused of filming males and females in the shower 124 times

A veteran of the Iraq war has faced court accused of secretly filming male and female travellers showering in his Queensland home, a court told of the unlikely hiding place for a camera.

An Iraq war veteran accused of secretly filming travellers showering in his bathroom has been granted bail on a $15,000 surety.

Former James Cook University student association president William Gerardus Rush Huybregts, 47, was arrested at Brisbane International Airport attempting to board a flight to Singapore last month after police had begun investigating the incident.

The fly-in fly-out mining geologist was subsequently charged with 124 counts of observations or recordings in breach of privacy – genital or anal region.

Huybregts served in the US Army before being charged with 124 counts of observations or recordings in breach of privacy after allegedly being caught trying to flee the country. Photo: Supplied.

Police will allege Huybregts hid a motion sensing camera in a bug spray can in the bathroom of his Townsville home and made scores of recordings of male and female guests showering.

Police will allege the videos depicted 124 separate occasions over a three-year period that a guest was captured showering where their genital regions were captured.

Recordings appeared to be triggered by a motion sensor found hidden in a sandwich bag to avoid moisture damage, police will allege

Huybregts is allegedly a host on a couchsurfing short-stay accommodation website and police claim he had many people stay at his property as they travelled Australia.

The former JCU student association president works as an underground mining geologist. Photo: Supplied.

During the investigation police will allege Huybregts appeared cooperative, providing investigators with a roster indicating he would be at work from September 22 to 29.

However on September 27 Townsville detectives were notified Huybregts was at Brisbane International Airport attempting to fly to Singapore.

At a part heard bail application last month Legal Aid duty lawyer Lauren Heaney said her client, a dual Australian and US citizen with no criminal history who served in Iraq and Bosnia with US armed forces, had been on his way to Bangkok to visit a friend and had a return to ticket to Australia when he was arrested at the airport.

At the recommencement of the bail application on Thursday in Brisbane Magistrates Court police prosecutor Eddie Fraser maintained Huybregts posed a flight risk and a return ticket did not mean the defendant was intending to return to Australia.

“It is clear that a passenger that travels to that jurisdiction is required to have an onward ticket prior to passing immigration … that does not by any way give an indication the defendant intended to return,” he said.

“The sophistication of the offending cuts to the core of community safety, particularly privacy.”

Huybregts, 47, was charged after allegedly being caught trying to flee the country. Photo: Supplied.

Barrister Tony Kimmins, for Huybregts, indicated his client was willing to offer a $15,000 surety, surrender his US passport and not enter any international departure point.

Magistrate Colin Strofield granted bail finding that while Huybregts posed a risk of failing to appear, the proposed conditions reduced the risk to an acceptable level.

The matter was adjourned to October 13 in Townsville Magistrates Court.

After bail was granted the court heard there were issues with the surety as Huybregts’ parents, who were providing it, lived in the US.

His lawyers were making alternative arrangements.

Originally published as William Gerardus Rush Huybregts granted bail accused of filming males and females in the shower 124 times