Michael Andrew Scott sentenced for planting cameras, phone in woman’s house

A man recruited someone else to plant a phone into a woman’s house, and took it upon himself to hide many cameras inside the home, including in an air vent and a stubby cooler.

Police seized a laptop and two phones from the man’s boathouse after he persistently planted hidden cameras in a woman’s home.

Police discovered a GPS tracker in a woman’s car as well as carefully hidden cameras in her home after CCTV caught a man repeatedly entering her house, a court has heard.

Michael Andrew Scott, 49, emerged in Maroochydore District Court wearing prison greens on December 1, where he pleaded guilty to one count of stalking.

Legal officer Amelia Walters told the court his offending stretched across 13 months, which started with hiding a camera in a woman’s home and as well as unwanted texts, calls and visits.

Throughout this period, the man entered the woman’s home on multiple occasions and installed more hidden cameras, which was captured on CCTV.

Multiple searches by the woman and police uncovered hidden cameras in air vents, a shed whirlybird, a pool gazebo, a stubby cooler and in several areas of the house such as the bedroom and kitchen.

The court was told CCTV detected Scott hidden inside the roof of the house.

Ms Walters said he had recruited another person to leave a phone inside her home, and he had entered her home while she was absent to interfere with CCTV footage several times.

She told the court Scott also had scrolled through emails on the woman’s laptop one time while she was away.

The woman’s phone, on more than one occasion, pinged that a tracking device was nearby, which led to police discovering a GPS tracker in her car’s engine bay, the court heard.

Ms Walters told the court when Scott’s boathouse was searched by police, officers found photos and videos on a laptop and two phones.

Defence barrister Simon Lewis described Scott as a “hardworking man” who has been working in the construction industry as a carpenter for the past 20 years.

“Something went haywire,” Mr Lewis said.

Scott was sentenced to two and a half years’ imprisonment with immediate parole in consideration with his 13 months spent in pre-sentence custody.

Originally published as Michael Andrew Scott sentenced for planting cameras, phone in woman’s house