Medical student who secretly filmed 150 Melbourne women in toilets spared conviction, Elon Musk says judge should be deported
Key Takeaways
- Bao Phuc Cao, Vietnamese medical student, secretly filmed about 150 Melbourne women in toilets.
- Spared conviction and left Melbourne Magistrate Court scot-free.
- Elon Musk called for deporting the judge overseeing the case.
Court decision and offender
A major controversy has started in Australia after a Vietnamese medical student was spared conviction after he secretly filmed women in toilets.
“A major controversy has started in Australia after a Vietnamese medical student was spared conviction after he secretly filmed women in toilets”
23-year-old Bao Phuc Cao walked from Melbourne Magistrate Court Friday scot-free as he told the police that he was in the female toilets because he was 'unsure of his gender'.
Cao is a repeat offender and escaped conviction twice over the same offences last year.
Magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz took into account Cao’s guilty plea, youth and lack of family in Australia.
Background of offences
Cao was first arrested in 2024 for secretly taking photographs of women inside the shower.
A woman found his mobile phone under the shower cubicle, and police found hundreds of photos and videos of up to 150 other women.
He pleaded guilty but was spared a conviction, and this pattern repeated last year.
This happened again and again, and now he's spared for the third time.
Public reaction and quotes
Public reaction to the case amplified on social media, with Elon Musk weighing in and Drew Pavlou posting quotes.
“A major controversy has started in Australia after a Vietnamese medical student was spared conviction after he secretly filmed women in toilets”
'He filmed 150 Australian women in toilets. Zero conviction. Judge didn’t want to deport him,' Pavlou wrote, and Musk replied, 'Deport the judge.'
As Cao walked out of the court, reporters asked him if he was still unsure of his gender; he covered his face and refused to answer questions.
University response
Melbourne University said last year privacy rules prevented them from revealing if Cao is still a student.
They said they were 'committed to eliminating and preventing sexual misconduct from our community and have robust systems and supports in place for our students and staff'.
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