‘They have been watched’: man secretly filmed women in bathroom of rental room

Multiple women in Toowoomba discovered they had been victims to the landlord secretly filming them in the bathroom, a court has heard.

Lim Fang leaving the Toowoomba Courthouse with his lawyer Shane McDowell after pleading guilty to secretly filming women in bathrooms.

A Singapore air force veteran has pleaded guilty to secretly filming women in the bathroom of his own home in the Toowoomba Region, after renting out one of his rooms.

Lim Wye Fang, 30, was sentenced before the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on May 12, for hiding a camera in his bathroom and secretly filming two women on separate occasions.

Fang, who was 29 at the time of the offences, pleaded guilty to two counts of observing or recording in breach of privacy.

Magistrate Kyna Morice told the invasive offence would erode the trust of the victims in their future.

“It would cause them distress to know that they have been watched in such a private situation,” she said.

Fang made an early plea of guilty and made open admissions when questioned by police.

After being questioned about the first victim, he volunteered information to the police about the second offence.

Fang co-operated with police in handing over the camera and did not try to delete content off the device, the court heard.

Defence lawyer Shane McDowell said the women had a right to use bathrooms in a property they were renting without the fear or suspicion of being recorded.

Mr McDowell said his client struggled with depression and anxiety after moving to Australia from Singapore, and he was unable to find work with his qualification in aeronautics so started driving for UberEats.

Mr McDowell said there was a connection between his offending and his mental health at the time.

“There was this turning to voyeuristic style of offending to lift his depressed state,” he said.

Lim Fang (left) leaving the Toowoomba Courthouse with his lawyer after pleading guilty to secretly filming women in bathrooms.

Fang’s wife, who supported him in court, is an optometrist and has a higher income than Fang, the court heard.

Ms Morice said she was not satisfied with only serving Fang with a fine because he does not solely have the capacity to pay it and the responsibility would fall on his wife.

“It would appear to me that she is the one to be paying,” she said.

“I am not going to order your wife to assist you in serving out your punishment.”

Ms Morice said Fang’s wife has already been put in a ‘detrimental position’ by his offending.

“These offences would have been shocking to her, they would have been incredibly upsetting to her, and embarrassing for her,” she said.

Fang was sentenced to 100 hours of unpaid community service and received a $500 fine for the offences.