The district court in Osnabrück has sentenced a former student to six months' imprisonment for secretly filming men and women in the toilet.

In addition, the judge ordered in Thursday's decision that the 26-year-old man from Hamburg must be cared for by a probation officer for one year.

With two of his victims, who also took part in the trial, his lawyer agreed on compensation for pain and suffering of 2,000 euros each.

He does not rule out that other victims will make civil claims against him, said the judge.

The verdict is not yet legally binding.

Targeted videos of women

The former student was convicted in 19 cases of violating the most personal sphere of life by taking pictures and violating personal rights.

He had hidden spy cameras in private and public toilets between October 2019 and January 2020.

In doing so, he specifically made video recordings of various women and also men who happened to be present going to the toilet, in order to watch them later and to be sexually aroused by them, the judge stated in his verdict.

There was no evidence that the images were distributed further.

The former student, who now lives in Hamburg again and is training to be a tax clerk, confessed to the crime.

Between October 2019 and January 2020, he secretly took pictures of women in particular sitting on the toilet and urinating in his flat-sharing community, at parties in other shared flats and above all in the public toilet of the Institute for Music at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences.

In his own shared flat, the man also filmed his roommate in the shower.

Victims suffer from anxiety disorders

Two of the victims testified how badly they still suffered from the offence.

A 24-year-old music student described how she still suffers from concentration problems and panic attacks.

Because of the lack of concentration, practicing with the instruments is difficult for her.

Because of the fact, she also had psychological difficulties with being filmed as a musician at performances without being asked.

She is still in therapeutic treatment.

Her 29-year-old fellow student also described how she has suffered from fears and a loss of trust since the crimes were uncovered.

The secret recordings were exposed in January 2020 at a student party.

The man admitted the crime in front of the party guests and immediately destroyed the memory card.

The guests then reported him;

he himself reported to the police and informed the university.

The judge found that he had also started therapy on his own initiative.

"You will have to continue to live with the taint of this act," he said.