WA students say they’re too scared to ride public transport because of ‘creeps using phones to film them’

Scared students say they are so worried about creeps using phones to film them that they are now wary of catching public transport to and from school. And teenage girls have revealed to The Sunday Times their personal experiences catching older men “clearly angling the camera” to try and secretly film them. “You just want to get out and get off the bus immediately,” one Year 11 student said. Students also say they’re frustrated that authorities aren’t doing more to make them feel safe as schools pretend the issue isn’t as serious as it is. The shocking revelations come as former mental health nurse Adam Simon McGovern was this week charged for allegedly “upskirting” multiple teenage girls in public places, on trains and outside schools. Mr McGovern appeared in court on Tuesday, prompting six high schools to send out letters informing families that some students could have been caught up in the alleged offending. A day after McGovern’s arrest, detectives charged a Catholic school teacher with four counts of indecently recording female students following a spate of allegations. The teacher denies the allegations and was granted bail. One female student who spoke to The Sunday Times about her experiences on public transport, also lifted the lid on how boys and girls are being secretly photographed in the schoolyard by other students for candid Instagram trends — making their lives miserable. “At school, there have been students taking photos in the bathroom of other peoples’ shoes from under the cubicle,” she said. “They then post it online . . . it’s just nasty.” One Instagram account — which associates itself with a school in Perth’s south-eastern suburbs – has 26 “bathroom shoes” posts back to 2022, with the most recent image uploaded in March this year. The account — which follows a global Instagram trend — depicts male students going to the toilet as they are having their shoes pictured from outside a cubicle without their knowledge. The Sunday Times can also reveal a string of candid Instagram accounts associated with a western suburbs school. The accounts, which often include covert images of teachers, have more than 2000 followers. In one intrusive account — which has 171 posts since March 2022 — students and teachers are filmed without permission in an effort to expose poor posture on school grounds. Many of the posts appear malicious, with explicit comments from students added to the images once they’re uploaded to the internet. One post which pictures a teacher leaning over a desk has comments such as “our favourite predator” and “bros getting a little carried away”. Another post — which shows a boy scratching his back on a seat — has comments such as “literal child abuse at this point” and “poor kid can’t catch a break”. In another account associated with the same school, images of unsuspecting students and teachers eating are uploaded to followers. But by far the biggest concern among students was the “harassment” and “constant fear” of being secretly filmed on the city’s major public transport routes. One female Year 11 student detailed a horrifying ordeal where her friends experienced “upskirting” on a train going into the CBD. “This person was following my friends and had actually taken pictures trying to get underneath their skirts,” she said. “It happened earlier this year. We were just coming into the city for the day.” For another female Year 11 student, a bus ride turned to hell after a person appeared to take photos of her on while on her way home from school. “There’s been a person on their phone, clearly angling the camera in order to try and take a photo of me,” she said. “It’s a very uncomfortable feeling. You just want to get out and get off the bus immediately. “Most of the time when the school’s addressing public transport, all they care about is that students maintain a good reputation.” One student — who attends one of the six schools involved in this week’s alleged upskirting scandal — said she will not travel on public transport alone “just in case” they fall victim to “harassment”. “When I’m with a friend I feel fine, but when I’m by myself, I feel kind of vulnerable,” she said. “Especially when I’m in my uniform. “It’s scary by yourself . . . even the eye contact sometimes it’s a little daunting. You kind of want to hide.” A Transperth spokesperson said upskirting is “not tolerated” on public transport. “Any criminal offence committed on public transport is reported to police and, if an individual accused of committing a crime is apprehended by transit officers, they are handed over to police,” the spokesperson said. Following this week’s charges against the Catholic school teacher, Catholic Education WA said they had provided school-based counselling, well-being staff support and psychological intervention if required, to impacted students and families.