‘Predatory’ Sydney teacher who upskirted students learns fate

A teacher who filmed up the skirts of female students at a Sydney school was jailed on Wednesday, but released on bail just hours later.

A “predatory” Sydney high school teacher who was caught filming up the skirts of female students has been released on bail just hours after a magistrate sent him to jail for his “high level of betrayal” of the young girls and their families.

Eric Wong, 29, was on Wednesday led away at Hornsby Local Court as he was sentenced after police discovered hundreds of videos and images of female students on his personal computers.

The former Cammeraygal High School science teacher has been suspended from work since he was accidentally uncovered by one of his students and reported to authorities.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of filming a person’s private parts without consent.

All of Wong’s victims were female students who were filmed while wearing their school uniforms in his class.

Despite his barrister arguing he should serve any sentence in the community because he had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, Magistrate Alexander Mijovich said he had no other option than to send him to jail.

“This occurred in the confines of the school, where victims and families are entitled to feel safe from predatory behaviour, which this can only be described as,” Mr Mijovich said.

“As a teacher you were taking photos of parts of their bodies close to them, under their dresses.”

Eric Wong (right) pleaded guilty to two counts of filming a person’s private parts without consent. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Swift.

Mr Mijovich said Wong’s offences involved a “high level of betrayal” and a degree of planning.

“The message has to get out, if you commit these offences there’s no alternative to fulltime custody,” Mr Mijovich said.

But little more than two hours after being sent to jail, Wong was released on bail pending a District Court appeal against his sentence.

Wong was discovered in December last year when he asked a student to stay behind in class, according to a statement of facts tendered to the court.

When Wong and his victim were alone in the classroom, he asked her to complete a survey on his laptop on a workbench.

As she took a step backward, she noticed a mobile phone which had been purposely placed on the ground leaning upwards.

Eric Wong pleaded guilty to filming up the skirts of female students. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift.

Two days later the girl told her parents, who informed school authorities and it was discovered that neither Cammeraygal High School nor the NSW Department of Education had authorised any student survey.

Wong was arrested at his home and police seized his laptop and desktop computer.

Police found 90 video recordings which depicted Wong walking up to female students and discretely positioning his mobile phone to film their buttocks and groin.

According to the court documents, he discreetly positioned his phone to film the students’ breasts and stomach from underneath their school blouse.

Wong could be seen in the video glancing at his mobile phone as he talks to the students and repositioning the camera to make sure he is capturing the student’s body.

Police also found 300 photos of female students shot from under their blouses showing their buttocks, groin and breasts.

Eric Wong appeared at Hornsby Court on Tuesday.

His barrister Peter Givorshner told the court on Wednesday that Wong had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and two psychological reports tendered to the court said he could not receive proper treatment in jail.

Mr Givorshner argued Wong was a “person of previously unblemished character” with a “mental disorder of some significance”.

He argued that he would be better off serving his sentence in the community via a corrections order.

However Mr Mijovich said considering the level of the breach of trust and the nature of his offending, he had no other option than to send him to prison.

“You fully understood this was clearly inappropriate conduct,” Mr Mijovich said.

He also took into account a letter in which Wong expressed remorse and said his career had been damaged.

Wong was sentenced to 14 months in prison, with a six-month non parole period, and was taken away by corrections officers.

Mr Givorshner then told the court that he would launch an appeal against Wong’s sentence.

Mr Mijovich allowed him to go free on conditional bail. He must surrender his passport, not go near any of his former students, live with his parents at Surry Hills and not post any science tutorials to his social media account.