--- description: A 36-year Hong Kong man has been charged after a French tourist discovered a hidden camera in their shared bathroom title: Tourist Charged After Spycam Found in Bondi Beach Hostel image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta8017837e60bcf88/6989474bb3fce396ee0c35a7/bondi-hidden-camera-hostel.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Australia](/tag/australia/) ## Australia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Australian Police Charge Tourist Over Spycam Case at a Bondi Beach Hostel by [Amy Gunia](/author/amy-gunia/) ## Amy Gunia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong. Mar 26, 2019 7:20 AM CUT  Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia is seen on March 4, 2018. Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia is seen on March 4, 2018.Xavier Laine—Getty Images by [Amy Gunia](/author/amy-gunia/) ## Amy Gunia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong. Mar 26, 2019 7:20 AM CUT A Hong Kong tourist has been charge after [a hidden camera](https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news/news?sq%5Fcontent%5Fsrc=%2BdXJsPWh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGZWJpenByZC5wb2xpY2UubnN3Lmdvdi5hdSUyRm1lZGlhJTJGNzU3ODQuaHRtbCZhbGw9MQ%3D%3D "undefined") he allegedly concealed in a stick of deodorant was discovered at a Sydney hostel Monday night. The camera was found by a 27-year-old French woman when she noticed the device shortly after showering, according to the New South Wales police. The woman reportedly took photos of the hidden camera peaking out of a deodorant in a toiletry bag on the sink before contacting the police. When the man was searched, Australian police say they found the remnants of a smashed camera. The 36 year old, who has not been named, also had numerous hard drives with him filled with videos of women that appear to have also been taken by secret cameras, the police report said. **Read More:** [_The Activities of Hundreds of Hotel Guests in South Korea Have Been Live-Streamed Over Hidden Cameras_](http://time.com/5554773/south-korea-hotels-spycam/ "undefined") Both tourists were staying at a hostel on Lamrock Avenue near Sydney’s famous [Bondi Beach](http://content.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1949439%5F1949245%5F1949124,00.html "undefined"). The woman checked in to the hostel on Sunday, and was allocated a room with the Hong Kong man, whom she did not know. The man has been charged with installing devices to film others and possessing surveillance devices intended for unlawful use. He has been refused bail and is set to appear in court Tuesday, according to the police statement. The case comes amid a wave of spycam crimes that involve cameras concealed in public places, like restrooms and hotels, that record people without their consent. Thousands of such voyeuristic cases were reported in South Korea last year, while incidents have also prompted arrests in the U.S., Hong Kong, [Canada](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-court-jarvis/canadas-top-court-charges-teacher-in-hidden-filming-case-of-voyeurism-idUSKCN1Q32KY "undefined"), and elsewhere. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5558651/hong-kong-tourist-hidden-camera-australia-hostel/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5558651/hong-kong-tourist-hidden-camera-australia-hostel/"},"headline":"Australian Police Charge Tourist Over Spycam Case at a Bondi Beach Hostel","datePublished":"2019-03-26T07:20:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T23:08:27.057Z","description":"A Hong Kong backpacker allegedly hid a camera in the bathroom of a hostel","url":"https://time.com/5558651/hong-kong-tourist-hidden-camera-australia-hostel/","keywords":["Australia","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta8017837e60bcf88/6989474bb3fce396ee0c35a7/bondi-hidden-camera-hostel.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Amy Gunia","jobTitle":"Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong.","url":"https://time.com/author/amy-gunia/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta8017837e60bcf88/6989474bb3fce396ee0c35a7/bondi-hidden-camera-hostel.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"bondi-hidden-camera-hostel","caption":"Bondi Beach Hostel Hidden Camera","creditText":"Xavier Laine—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/australia/","name":"Australia"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5558651/hong-kong-tourist-hidden-camera-australia-hostel/","name":"Australian Police Charge Tourist Over Spycam Case at a Bondi Beach Hostel"}}]}] ```