A BANBURY man has avoided jail after hiding a camera in a communal toilet and filming a woman taking a bath.

David Koltay, of Prospect Road, Banbury, admitted to two counts of voyeurism after police found his private footage when carrying out a search warrant at his address on August 10, 2021.

It was discovered that the 33-year-old had secretly filmed a woman using the toilet, undressing, and taking a bath in a communal bathroom.

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At Oxford Magistrates Court on Wednesday (January 24), Judge Kamlesh Rana handed him a 26-week prison sentence, suspended for two years.

During the hearing, it was heard that Koltay had recently moved to the UK before the now seven-year-old incident and works for BMW, the car manufacturer.

Between April 17, 2016, and June 30, 2016, Koltay took the footage on a phone camera. In the film, he could be seen setting up the phone before later retrieving it from the bathroom.

After police discovered the footage in 2021, Koltay then visited the woman at her workplace and admitted what he had done and apologised.

He told her police had found the footage as he felt ‘guilty’.

A victim impact statement read out in court heard that the woman feels ‘disgusted, angry, and upset’ with what happened.

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She wrote: “I was filmed in a private moment where I should have been safe.”

The court heard that Koltay has no previous convictions and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

It was suggested that Koltay was lonely at the time due to just moving to the UK and had ‘isolated himself too much’.

Sentencing him, Judge Rana said: “A horrific offence. A massive invasion of this young lady’s privacy. Irrespective of what you say, you put that phone there and you pressed record and you went to retrieve it.

“You then had the nerve to go and see this lady after you were caught by the police. The only thing that saved you from an immediate custodial sentence was your guilty plea and the fact that you haven’t been in trouble before.”

As well as his suspended sentence, he was ordered to complete 35 rehabilitation activity days, 150 hours of unpaid work and was made subject to a restraining order.

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There were court costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £154. Judge Rana considered ordering compensation for the woman but worried it may cause her distress.

Judge Rana said: “How do you compensate for such a huge invasion of privacy?”

A forfeiture and destruction order was made for the videos.