A business owner in WA’s Midwest who used a public payphone to harass women across Australia for almost a decade has been jailed for four years and six months.

Geraldton man Christopher Andrew Anderson, 59, pleaded guilty to almost 30 charges, including multiple counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass, or cause offence, using an optical surveillance device to record a private act, and performing obscene acts in public. 

The District Court in Geraldton heard Anderson used a payphone in West End to make offensive phone calls to more than 10 different women between 2013 and 2022. 

He often called their place of work, identifying himself as Peter and saying he was a “secret admirer”.

He used information collected from the internet and from watching them at their place of work to act as if he knew the women personally. 

The court heard he would initially come across as polite before asking the victims sexual questions and making comments about their physical appearance.

Some women heard sounds that indicated Anderson was conducting sex acts over the phone. 

The court was told one of the victims received about 15 calls from Anderson between 2013 and 2022, and she is now anxious about going out in public on her own. 

Another was concerned someone was watching her when Anderson revealed personal details over the phone. 

One woman was working at an adult store when Anderson called asking if she stocked DVDs containing bestiality material. 

Caught in the act

Police set up surveillance of the payphone used by Anderson across a three-month period. 

Officers recorded the man performing sex acts while he made calls on a number of occasions. 

When they attended his business to arrest him, Anderson was seen throwing a USB into a car. 

The password-protected device was seized and police found more than 40 images and videos of child exploitation material. 

In a separate incident, a person known to him was recorded undressing on a watch he had placed in a bathroom. 

Anderson was also found in possession of seven cannabis plants, cannabis oil, and 20 grams of cannabis. 

The court was told Anderson made full admissions to all charges during his police interviews. 

Defence counsel Julie Gray said Anderson accepted the facts and felt embarrassed about his actions. 

Ms Gray said Anderson never intended to physically harm the victims and his actions were done for self-gratification.  

District Judge Amanda Burrows told the court Anderson prioritised his sexual pleasure over the safety and security of the victims. 

She said the nature of the offending was quite serious and disturbing, labelling his contact with the women as premeditated, calculated, and persistent. 

“Your actions have had an ongoing and profound effect,” Judge Burrows said. 

The court was told Anderson’s psychiatric report concluded he might have suffered from paraphilic disorder, including paedophilia, zoophilia, and telephone scatophilia. 

The court heard Anderson had no history of mental illness that could have contributed to the offending. 

Anderson was also fined $1,800 for possession of a prohibited drug and possessing an indecent or obscene article. 

The 59-year-old has been in custody since his arrest last year and will be eligible for parole on October 25, 2024. 

Loading