A WELL-KNOWN Hunter businessman has admitted to secretly filming nine people, including three children, for his own sexual gratification.
The man, who cannot be identified, pleaded guilty to 25 charges when he faced Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday afternoon.
He appeared via video-link from jail, where he has been on remand, and sat with his chin resting on his folded arms as he pleaded guilty to 10 counts of filming a person in a private act without their consent - aggravated by the age of the victims, being 12 to 13 years old.
He also pleaded guilty to 15 counts of intentionally recording an intimate image without consent.
The court heard the charges related to six adults and three children.
The crimes occurred in the Hunter Region between August, 2019, and June, 2023.
Several charges were dropped after he pleaded guilty to the 25 counts.
The man was arrested in September 2023 and charged with using a hidden camera to film a young girl without her consent - and was refused bail.
Several people waited in the public gallery for most of the day to watch the man enter his pleas on Wednesday.
He has been committed for sentence in Newcastle District Court, where he will appear on September 26. He remains in custody.
