A Vietnamese student studying to become a neurosurgeon at the University of Melbourne has been sentenced for the third time for secretly filming women in restrooms and showers, yet walked free from court again with no conviction recorded.
Bao Phuc Cao, 23, appeared at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on March 13, where he was placed on a 12-month good behavior bond for filming a woman in a restroom at Chipmunks Playland and Cafe in Docklands on Feb. 20, 2025, the Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported.
The woman noticed an iPhone being held close to the wall near her cubicle while it was recording, AAP reported. She became scared and left to call security, who found Cao inside the cubicle.
When arrested, Cao told police he was in the women’s restroom because he was “not sure about his gender,” the Herald Sun reported.
Police seized Cao’s phone and found more than 100 voyeuristic videos, though authorities could not determine whether they depicted the same victim or multiple people.
Cao was sentenced the first time in May 2025 for an incident the previous October at RoomingKos, a student accommodation in Melbourne’s CBD, where he was caught filming a woman in the shower.
Police investigating that case found hundreds of secretly recorded photos and videos on his phone and laptop, with up to 150 women potentially filmed without their knowledge, Nine News reported.
Cao pleaded guilty and received a community corrections order with mandatory participation in a sex offender treatment program.
He was sentenced a second time in July 2025 over the same Docklands matter heard on March 13. Again, no conviction was recorded.
The University of Melbourne has declined to confirm whether Cao remains enrolled, citing privacy, but said it was committed to eliminating sexual misconduct from its community.
The case has drawn widespread public backlash in Australia, with anti-violence campaigner Sherele Moody of the Red Heart Campaign questioning how many women must be subjected to such offenses before meaningful consequences are imposed, Nine News reported.
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