A Ballarat man has pleaded guilty to multiple charges after being found in possession of more than 1,000 photos and videos of child abuse material and taking almost 200 “upskirt” images of women and children.

Derek Anthony Grima, 40, appeared in the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court this afternoon charged with producing intimate images and possessing child abuse material. 

The court heard Grima downloaded more than 1,100 photos and videos of child abuse material and took 172 intimate images underneath the skirts of unwitting women and 18 upskirt images of children, the youngest aged 13. 

Video of woman showering

The court heard eight of his victims were children, and some of the women were known to him.

One charge related to Grima recording a woman showering without her knowledge. 

Magistrate Tara Hartnett said the offences occurred between January 1, 2024 and February 6, 2025 in Ballarat, Geelong and Melbourne.

Magistrate Hartnett said the images were taken at public places, including the Ballarat Bridge Mall, Stockland’s Wendouree shopping centre and his own place of work.

The court heard police found an app on Grima’s phone that allowed him to take covert images and video while the device appeared to have a blank screen. 

Grima’s defence counsel applied for the matters to be heard in the magistrates’ court, but Magistrate Hartnett denied the application, saying the offending was too serious.

Grima has been in custody since his arrest in February last year, and is expected to appear in the county court in June for a plea hearing.