He stole underwear from Dunedin flats and put hundreds of women on edge as news of a mysterious lurker spread among the city’s student population.
Some were so fearful they invested in CCTV, a move which ultimately played a part in his downfall.
But despite his eventual arrest, the man who attended lectures with fellow students during the day then used the cover of darkness to commit his unsettling crimes will remain a secret — at least for now.
The 21-year-old appeared in the Dunedin District Court last week after admitting three counts of burglary and one of being unlawfully in an enclosed yard.
Though his applications for a discharge without conviction and permanent name suppression were both refused, an immediate appeal means the Otago Daily Times cannot identify the defendant.
The University of Otago student was averaging an A on his course, was in the top 10% of his cohort and described by his head of department as "a diligent, engaged student who takes his studies seriously".
The court heard his spot at the University of Otago was now in jeopardy.
A university spokeswoman said it would await the outcome of the appeal before initiating disciplinary proceedings.
Reports charted the defendant’s descent into depravity; beginning with bullying at school, leading to social anxiety and isolation.
"You viewed pornography, indeed in increasing volumes, leading towards a fetish", Judge David Robinson said.
The defendant began buying women’s underwear online before things escalated, the court heard.
On April 18, he crept into the yard of a flat in Cosy Dell Rd.
CCTV footage viewed by the ODT shows the man tiptoeing down the side of the property, pausing for an extended period to caress some women’s washing drying on a line.
A police summary said he fled when one of the occupants yelled out.
But the near-miss did not stop his moonlit missions.
Just days later, the defendant targeted three George St properties on the same night.
At the first, he took a pair of knickers and bra from a laundry box in the back of the yard; at the second, he grabbed women’s underwear from the ground; at the third, he went a significant step further.
The defendant got into the flat through an unlocked back door as the women who lived there slept.
He pocketed a pair of knickers he found in the lounge then ventured upstairs, swiping two more garments from a drawer.
As the man made his exit, he was confronted by one of the residents who had been downstairs getting a drink.
Police finally collared him at his home, a short walk away, after responding to reports of a Peeping Tom in Cosy Dell Rd.
The defendant immediately came clean and his counsel Anne Stevens KC said he sought help soon after.
He had since attended specialist counselling and been diagnosed with a major depressive disorder.
Mrs Stevens said her client’s motivation for his crimes stemmed from a desire to escape his negative emotions.
"The gratification obtained by risk taking would have likely provided him with a relief from symptoms of depression."
If the defendant was convicted, employment in the "highly competitive world" of his chosen profession would be stymied, as would the possibility of overseas travel.
The police opposed a discharge without conviction and Judge Robinson agreed: the potential consequences for the defendant did not outweigh the seriousness of his offending.
The judge also declined the application for permanent name suppression.
The defendant had a supportive family and had shown he could seek assistance from professionals when in crisis.
Publication of his name would not cause extreme hardship, Judge Robinson ruled.
He sentenced him to four months’ community detention and 150 hours’ community work.
But that would be on hold until the High Court appeal was heard next month.
rob.kidd@odt.co.nz , Court reporter
