An AirBnB host has pleaded guilty to storing and editing secretly recorded images of 16 people staying at his holiday home.
Matthew Page, 63, appeared at the Sydney Downing Center on Thursday after admitting installing and hiding six cameras inside the AirBnB in Newport, on Sydney’s northern beaches.
The shocking plan was unraveled after a guest discovered one of the cameras inside a container in the bathroom and alerted police in January 2023.
When facing the camera, Page told the guest and her partner: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” That was me, I did it,’ the court heard.
The cameras were found to have recorded men, women and a 13-year-old girl in various levels of nudity.
Page was charged with several offenses of recording intimate images without consent and one count of producing child abuse material.
His bail conditions continued in October after he pleaded guilty to the charges and again on Thursday without objection from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
He is expected to return to court for sentencing in March.
The host of an AirBnB on Sydney’s northern beaches admitted to secretly recording 16 of his guests with hidden cameras, including a 16-year-old girl (pictured, file image).
Court documents revealed that the guest found the camera hidden in the pedal of the dumpster, the Daily Telegraph reported.
She and her partner then contacted the police and AirBnB support and began packing their belongings to leave when Page approached them and asked if everything was okay.
“No, we found a hidden camera in the bathroom,” the man told Page.
After telling them he was “sorry” and “he did it,” Page asked the couple, “did you call the police?”
“Yes, you should wait at the house, we’ll see you when the police arrive,” the man told him.
Police arrived shortly after and located the camera taped to the base of the Blu Tack container.
Page initially denied all knowledge of the camera when questioned by police before a second search uncovered four pinhole cameras.
Police confiscated the equipment, a laptop, hard drives, USB sticks and an iPhone.
He strategically hid six cameras around the AirBnB so that every part of its interior was recorded and it was discovered that he had edited the images of his guests (pictured, Sydney Downing Centre).
The camera in the container was found to be connected to a central processing device containing more than 150 files captured at five-minute intervals.
An investigation into the electronics uncovered edited videos from a total of six cameras positioned to capture each internal section of the home.
Police identified 16 victims in the footage, including a 13-year-old girl who was staying at the home with her mother.
The court heard that Page had run AirBnB with his wife, who had no knowledge of the sordid act and is not accused of any offence.
He remains free on bail on the condition that he report to police daily, post a $5,000 bond, and not contact any former Airbnb guests.