A LAKE Macquarie amateur photographer accused of sexually and indecently assaulting three models at his Gateshead studio has been refused bail in Newcastle Local Court.
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Allan Todd Cameron, 54, appeared in court on Thursday morning in handcuffs after he was arrested at his Gateshead home on Wednesday and charged with 17 offences, including eight counts of assault with act of indecency and four counts of sexual intercourse without consent.
Lake Macquarie detectives began investigating after a then 19-year-old woman told police she was sexually assaulted during a photography session at a studio in Sydney Street, Gateshead, in June 2017.
During the investigation, police say they seized a computer allegedly containing more than 300,000 images, including a number of allegedly sexually explicit photographs.
Police also spoke with two other women, both now aged 25, who also reported they were allegedly assaulted during photographic sessions in 2012 and 2017.
In court on Thursday, Mr Cameron’s solicitor, Mark Evans, applied for bail, telling Magistrate Ian Cheetham his client had no criminal record and strong community ties.
But police prosecutor Adam Checkley opposed his conditional release and said Mr Cameron posed an unacceptable risk to the community, citing the number of victims, the time period and the nature of the allegations.
“There are three prosecution witness in this matter, who all describe similar experiences with the accused,” Sergeant Checkley said.
“The offending behaviour is alleged to have occurred over a long-period of time.
“The accused was allegedly in a position of trust at the time that these offences occurred and committed these offences against victims that were of a much younger age than himself.”
In relation to concerns about further offending, Mr Evans said Mr Cameron had shut down his amateur photography business and police had seized his equipment.
Mr Cheetham agreed it was a strong prosecution case and said, in his view, Mr Cameron posed an unacceptable risk of failing to appear, endangering the community and committing further offences.
“The conditions advanced really are to return him home and require him not to contact the alleged victims,” Mr Cheetham said.
“In the circumstances the conditions advanced will not address the risk and so bail will be refused.”
Mr Cameron, short with grey hair, looked surprised and glanced around the courtroom before he was taken down to the courthouse cells.
The matter will return to court on December 13.
More to come.
