Man Arrested and Jailed for Secretly Filming Women with Pen Camera

A Chilean national, Luis Alberto Cancino Mena, has been sentenced to nine months under an Intensive Correctional Order after pleading guilty to secretly filming women without their consent using a pen camera.

Mena’s arrest followed months of covert surveillance, during which he used the disguised recording device to spy on women in a private home located in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. His actions came to light in February when cleaners discovered the hidden device, leading to an immediate police investigation.

Appearing before Waverley Local Court, Mena pleaded guilty to three separate charges of filming women without their knowledge or consent.

During sentencing, Magistrate Michael Barko condemned Mena’s actions, highlighting the lasting psychological damage they may cause.

Sentencing Mena, Magistrate Michael Barko said the impact of his crimes would cause lasting anxiety for the victims.

He said: “P-rn-graphy is not illegal, but when innocent women get filmed without consent it beggars belief, it’s a perversion, it has to be a perversion.

“These women for the rest of their lives are going to think, ‘Are these images going to be shared on the World Wide Web?’

“The defendant at the time was here with the privilege of being allowed in this country, he’s expressed the desire to return to his homeland of Chile.

“Quite frankly the Australian public doesn’t want him here.”

In the court document obtained, it reads: “The cleaners of the premises attended the location and begun cleaning as per the agreement in place. They were cleaning the bathroom before locating a recording camera device which was in the shape of a pen on the ground of the bathroom. The cleaner pulled apart the device and observed it to be recording,”

“The storage device was accessed by the cleaners and they observed recording files of the victim with no clothes on taking a shower.”

“Police say one recording “clearly shows the accused setting the camera up in the bathroom”.

After he was arrested, the police seized Mena laptops were they found folders marked under the names of the victims.

In coming to his decision, Magistrate Barko noted the considerable effort Mena went to in buying the pen with a camera in it, getting the SIM card and downloading the footage, saying “it’s not as though you’re picking up a box of chocolates from Woolworths”.

He also queried the mindset of Mena, when pornography was easily accessible online.

“With all that’s accessible on the internet, all that’s accessible on social media, all that’s accessible with the push of a button, why someone has to acquire a camera, to film the private parts … of three completely innocent victims,” he said.
Following Mena’s arrest, police seized his laptops and discovered folders labeled with the names of his victims.

In reaching his decision, Magistrate Barko highlighted the considerable effort Mena took to commit the crimes — including purchasing a pen embedded with a hidden camera, obtaining a SIM card, and downloading the footage.

He remarked, “It’s not as though you’re picking up a box of chocolates from Woolworths.”

The magistrate also questioned Mena’s mindset, especially given the easy accessibility of p–r–ography online.