Landlord 'hid spy cameras in women's flats'

A landlord secretly videoed 34 women tenants for nearly 20 years after hiding cameras in their flats, a court has heard.

Thomas Daley (aged 45) appeared in court yesterday facing more than 2,000 charges. He waived his preliminary hearing.

Authorities had not previously disclosed the number of tenants involved.

Daley had installed the cameras - typically one in the bedroom and one in the bathroom - in at least seven flats he rented to women in Norristown, a suburb of Philadelphia, over the last 19 years, Montgomery County assistant district attorney Coley Reynolds said.

Prosecutors said Daley's sophisticated set-up fed the camera images to a recording system in the basement, enabling him to view the tapes from his home via the internet.

He was said to have hidden the tiny cameras behind mirrors and in cabinets and ceiling fans, and some turned on with the flip of a light switch.

The investigation began this year after a tenant discovered a camera and contacted police, leading to Daley's arrest on September 19 on charges including wiretapping and invasion of privacy.

Detectives searched his other flats and recovered videotapes, records and evidence that led to new charges yesterday involving 34 current and former tenants.

The extra charges included 34 counts of invasion of privacy, 14 wiretap counts based on 14 audio devices found, and two counts each of burglary and evidence tampering, based on Daley's alleged attempt to break into two flats and remove cameras after he learned of the probe, Mr Reynolds said.

The case echoes 1993 Sharon Stone film 'Sliver', in which a character spied on tenants using a sophisticated system of spy cameras.