Toowoomba man jailed and placed on probation for stalking ex-wife, filming her in shower

The 54-year-old broke into his ex-wife’s home, filmed her in the shower without her knowledge and threatened to post intimate images of her online.

A 54-year-old Toowoomba man who stalked his ex-de facto wife, broke into her home and threatened to distribute intimate photos and video material of her has been jailed and placed on probation.

However, taking into account he had served almost two months in custody since his arrest, the man, who is not named so as to protect the identity of the victim, was released from custody immediately.

He appeared before Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Tuesday via videolink from the Woodford Correctional Centre to plead guilty to a total 13 offences including seven counts of breaching a domestic violence order, four of contravening a police protection notice, and one each of unlawful stalking and observations or recordings in breach of privacy – all deemed domestic violence offences against the same woman.

Despite being prohibited from going within 100m of the woman, the man constantly drove past her home.

Police prosecutor Kinsley Weir told the court the man had been a delivery driver and despite the protection orders prohibiting him from going with 100m of the victim or contacting her he had regularly driven past her home, claiming to police that his delivery route included the woman’s Darling Heights street.

The woman at one point told the man she was going to the Gold Coast for a few days but in fact had stayed locked inside her home with her lights off, she said.

However, the next day she woke to find the man at the foot of her bed, claiming she had left a back door unlocked even though she was certain she had locked all doors, the court was told.

That prompted her to have a locksmith change all of her home’s door locks, Senior Constable Weir said.

The man had also sent her intimate images taken when the couple was together, threatening to make the images public.

The 54-year-old man pleaded guilty before Toowoomba Magistrates Court to 13 offences.

When police arrested him, the man’s mobile phone was checked on which was found multiple intimate images of the woman including a video of her showering in her home which had been taken by the man standing outside her bathroom window during which he had removed the flyscreen for a better view, Senior Constable Weir said.

The man’s solicitor Callum Wood told the court his client realised the relationship was over and had since begun a new relationship with a woman he would live with outside Toowoomba upon his release from jail.

Mr Wood said it was accepted his client’s offences were serious but he had no previous criminal history and while in custody he had engaged with a Christian pastor and gained insight into his offending and intended doing a rehabilitation program in the future.

Magistrate Kyna Morice declared the 58 days spent in pre-sentence custody as time served and sentenced the man to six months in jail, fully suspended for 12 months, and placed him on 18 months probation.