Arabic version: اتهام متدرب سابق في أكاديمية الدفاع الأسترالية بأكثر من 260 تهمة

According to ABC News, former Australian Defence Force Academy cadet Tain Stephens is facing more than 260 charges over allegations that he used a hidden camera in a bathroom soap dispenser to record female cadets in Canberra.

Stephens, 20, pleaded not guilty in May to five counts of capturing intimate visual data. A further 77 counts were laid in July, and the court heard on Tuesday that he now faced another 181 offences, including capturing visual data and possessing, controlling, producing, supplying or obtaining child abuse material.

He was also charged with one count of possessing child abuse material and one count of using a carriage service to transmit sexual material without consent. Prosecutor James Malloy told the court the charges arose from the same factual circumstances and said all parties would need time to consider the material.

Court documents tendered after Stephens’s first appearance alleged that more than 40,000 files were found on his devices. Police warned that further forensic examination could reveal more victims and additional intimate recordings.

Stephens is no longer a member of the Australian Defence Force and remains on bail in Queensland. His lawyer, Angus Mackie-Williams, said he needed 10 weeks to obtain instructions before entering pleas and sought permission for Stephens not to attend the next court mention. The court extended bail and allowed Stephens to appear by video link when the matter returns in November.