A Te Puke man who took intimate pictures of scantily-clad women on the Main Mount Beach told police he did so as a substitution for his addiction to internet pornography.
In Tauranga District Court yesterday, sales rep Michael Meyer, 42, pleaded guilty to three charges of made an intimate visual recording.
On
several occasions between October 2009 and January this year, Meyer visited the Main Mount Beach on Marine Parade and took photographs of women using his digital camera.
In October 2009 he parked up near Mount Drury and after identifying three young women dressed in lightweight beachwear and bikinis, he parked opposite them and started to take a series of photographs of them.
A witness alerted his victims but when one of the young women challenged Meyer about his behaviour he denied taking pictures and drove off.
Several months later, Meyer again parked up on Marine Parade and began taking photographs of a group of young females on the beach who were changing from their wetsuits into their bikinis after a surf lifesaving lesson.
In January this year, Meyer parked up on Marine Parade near the Main Mount Beach and started to watch two females in their early 20s sunbathing in bikinis on a grass bank.
Meyer began taking a series of photographs of them as he sat in his car using the zoom function on his digital camera to enhance the images of the women's bodies. Neither victim was aware of being photographed.
When spoken to by police, Meyer stated that during the last 18 months he had taken pictures of females mainly dressed in bikinis at the beach for his own sexual gratification and urges.
He admitted using the zoom function to get a closer look at intimate areas of their bodies such as their breasts.
Meyer admitted that he had a problem and started taking the pictures as a substitution for his addiction to internet pornography. He claimed he always deleted the images from his camera before he went home as he did not want his wife to discover them.
Constable Tim Bonner told the Bay of Plenty Times that Meyer's arrest came after police executed a search warrant at his home a couple of weeks ago following information from a witness. He said Meyer made admissions when questioned.
Judge Christopher Harding remanded Meyer on bail and called for a pre-sentence report. Meyer will be sentenced on April 15.
