Newcastle amateur glamour photographer, Allan Todd Cameron, who allegedly used his home studio to prey on aspiring young models, has pleaded not guilty to 26 charges involving 10 young women.
Cameron posed as a semi-pro glamour photographer, trading as Primeval Edge, operating from a shed converted into a photo studio, to allegedly commit crimes between 2011 and 2017. He’s denied the 17 counts of indecent assault, eight counts of sexual intercourse without consent and one count of procuring a person for prostitution.
The 56-year-old photographer is accused of having more than 300,000 images on his computer, and much of the evidence is graphic and sensitive, so the trial will continue in a closed court.
Prosecutor Paul Marr said in his opening address that the alleged offences shared similarities.
‘A closed shoot would commence with models wearing clothing, and he would flatter some models and he would urge them towards nudity,’ Marr said. ‘Dropped bra straps then led to a topless shoot, with the models demurely hiding their breasts. He would direct as to where to strategically place their hands after he gained their confidence and instructed them to move an arm or a leg here or there.
‘Once Mr Cameron had the confidence, he ultimately directed them to assume a position on the studio floor, on all fours with their rear to the accused.’
According to Marr, one of the victims asked Cameron to take ‘natural and nice’ photos to give to her mother, but the photographer insisted on conducting a nude shoot which he often framed as being ‘artistic’.
Back in November 2017, Cameron had been charged by Lake Macquarie Police for sexually assaulting three models. After the news broke, more models came forward with similar experiences, prompting police to set up Strike Force Geelan to further investigate Cameron. Marr apparently offered his photography services to aspiring models on Facebook.
At the time we wrote: Accessibility of advanced camera gear, along with the ease of creating an online business presence, has opened the gates for unscrupulous photographers to pose as legitimate and experienced business owners. Wedding days have been ruined due to a photographer’s lack of skills or inexperience. And in a few rare instances, possibly including this one, an individual has used photography to undertake alleged criminal activity.
Inside Imaging has chosen not to jump into the gritty details of the accusations, however they can be read at News.com.au.
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