Stuart James King: SCGH sleep scientist who accessed intimate footage of patients given more jail time

A Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital sleep scientist already behind bars for accessing intimate footage of female patients undressing has been handed more jail time for other depraved crimes. Stuart James King was earlier this month jailed for 5½ years for using the hospital’s computer system to obtain video footage of 12 female patients undressing and redressing before and after their sleep studies. On Friday, King was sentenced to an extra four months behind bars, as well as a $2000 fine, for using an optical surveillance device to record a private activity to which not a party, indecent acts in public and stalking. He pleaded guilty to the charges, which took place from July 2023 to February last year. The court was told one of the offences involved King following a woman up a public escalator and using his phone to take photos under her skirt. The other charges relate to stalking a woman at her home in Wanneroo. In early last year, King was captured on CCTV approaching the victims home, peering through windows of the homes bedroom and bathroom. Upon further review, more recordings from separate occasions captured the same male figure approaching house and looking through windows again. At one point, King has used his phone to record the woman, who was naked in her bathroom. During a search warrant, police found clothing matching the clothes of the man captured on the CCTV. King admitted to the act and pleaded guilty. Magistrate Justin Geoghegan said the offending were significant, and serious breach of a persons privacy. “Every person is entitled to privacy . . . no one should expect when go out in public from people like you,” he said. “While you may see it as a victimless crime, it is not. “I have no doubt it will have an ongoing impact on the victims for a long time. “I hope you are coming to the realisation your actions impacted people in a tremendous way.” In King’s earlier offending at SCGH, he accessed footage of women who were recorded on hospital cameras removing and changing their pants, underwear and bras, exposing their breasts. Police executed a search warrant of King’s Marangaroo home in January after being tipped off by his wife. Police were unable to locate his laptop at the time of the search, which contained the footage. However King later admitted he had hidden it in a filing cabinet next to his office at SCGH. Judge Charlotte Wallace said King had violated his victims, who were already in a vulnerable position because they were suffering sleep issues. “This is a very serious example (of someone) gaining benefit of accessing a restricted computer at work,” she said. “As a result, he has violated the bodily autonomy of these woman and their right to privacy. King’s defence lawyer Ashley Watson said that his client was voyeuristic and had been addicted to porn since he was a teenager, adding that he was ashamed and “deeply embarrassed”. He has since separated from his wife and lost contact with his two young children. North Metropolitan Health Service chief executive Robert Toms said he was confident it was an isolated incident, and said the hospital had taken steps to ensure similar behaviour would never happen again. He said King worked in a non-clinical role and did not have any direct contact with the patients. “We are pleased that Mr King was sentenced for his criminal conduct and deeply shocked by his behaviour,” he said. “The safety and wellbeing of our patients is our number one priority, and this is an appalling betrayal of trust by an individual. “We worked very closely with police on their investigation, and took immediate action as soon as the organisation was informed of the matter. “We have thoroughly reviewed all practices and are confident this was an isolated incident by a single individual.”