Aaron de Hoog, 38, was a father himself, an adult who knew what was right and wrong, the woman told Waitākere District Court, where he was sentenced today.
His actions were not one-off or opportunistic.
“For a year he didn’t stop, he just kept recording and watching,” she said.
He knew all three victims, whose identities are under protection.
An official report shows that in 2018 de Hoog made a total of 18 secret recordings in the bathroom of the woman’s house and in the bedroom of her son and his girlfriend.
They were filmed naked while showering, dressing and being intimate.
“I was only 17 at the time,” the friend said as she read her victim impact statement in court.
She saw him as a trusted adult figure she could rely on, but discovered that he used their images for his own sexual pleasure.
“We’re going to have to live with this for the rest of our lives,” she said. “It will define who I am.”
Her boyfriend is angry and embarrassed and does not go out or invite his friends, his mother told the court.
“He can’t talk to anyone about it. He doesn’t trust anyone,” she said.
The mother feels she has not protected her child and has difficulty working and making decisions.
The crime came to light after she found the files on de Hoog’s computer and reported him to the police.
Defense attorney Daniel Peric said the man pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, admitted watching the videos for sexual gratification and handed over the hard drives to police.
In court, however, the victims argued against the latter point, claiming that de Hoog had not voluntarily offered the evidence and claiming that it was a difficult process to get the hard drives off him.
Judge Grant Fraser said the breach was a clear breach of trust that has had a huge impact on the victims.
There were many videos, all shot in the victim’s home, where they had a right to feel safe, he said.
The court heard that the High glowing had work credentials and was training to become a pilot, but this was now jeopardized by the offence.
Peric demanded community service for his client, which the judge rejected.
“This crime is indeed serious and anything but house arrest would be completely inappropriate,” Judge Fraser said.
He sentenced de Hoog to six months of house arrest and ordered him to pay $750 in damages to each victim.
“I hope we never see you again,” the judge told the man.
“But if you come back for a similar offence, you will be imprisoned,” he said.
By Qiuyi Tan