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Claire Eastham-Farrelly / Vinay Ranchhod / RNZ
A stranger recorded Veronica Schmidt stripping in a locker room at Kmart.
This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and republished with permission.
A man caught filming a woman stripping in a Kmart locker room in Auckland was sentenced to community service.
In August, Walid Eman Amer Soliman, 46, from Auckland, was convicted of making an intimate visual recording at St Lukes department store.
Today, in Auckland District Court, he was sentenced to 100 hours of community service. Judge Brooke Gibson rejected Soliman’s request to be released without conviction, as he has not expressed any remorse and continues to deny that the crime was committed.
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On August 19, 2019, RNZ employee and mother of two, Veronica Schmidt, was trying on pants and bras in a women’s locker room at the store.
As he removed his pants, Schmidt noticed that Soliman’s hand, holding an iPhone, was pushing under the cubicle divider, recording video of her from below.
Anneke Smith / RNZ
Walid Soliman covers his face in court to prevent the RNZ court reporter from taking a photo of him earlier this year.
Today in court, Judge Gibson said Soliman “did not film for a significant period of time, but that appears to be primarily because the activity was discovered by the plaintiff.”
He described the severity of the offense as “moderate” and as an act of “voyeurism rather than potential physical predatory behavior.”
In passing judgment, it took into account that Soliman, who receives sickness benefit and works part-time at a car rental company, had no prior convictions.
In Soliman’s request for release without conviction, he claimed that he had already suffered within his own community, due to media coverage of the guilty verdict.
He also expressed concern about the stigma that he and his family in Egypt could suffer if convicted, including concern for a nephew applying to be a police officer.
“In my opinion, that is simply a natural consequence of the nature of the crime itself,” Judge Gibson told the court. He said the consequences were not disproportionate to the seriousness of the crime.
“I have considered whether I should impose a supervisory sentence on her. Given her attitude toward the crime and her total denial that it occurred, I’m not sure that some rehabilitative aspect of that sentence is helpful because I don’t accept that she did what I found out she did.” Judge Gibson said.
Judge Gibson denied RNZ’s request to photograph Soliman in court.
Under the Crime Law, the maximum penalty for making an intimate visual recording is three years in prison.
In a statement, Schmidt told RNZ she was relieved that the process was over.
“I am not sure that 100 hours of community service will have a huge impact on your life, but I am very glad that the judge rejected your request for release without conviction. I had to live with the consequences of your actions and now you will also have to deal with the consequences, a conviction on your record. “
This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and republished with permission.
