Ryan Cho pleads guilty to hidden camera charges—July 10, 2026

Ryan Cho, a 29-year-old trainee doctor from Singapore, pleaded guilty on Thursday to 13 charges of secretly filming hundreds of hospital staff members using toilets and showers across three major Melbourne hospitals. Police seized over 10,000 video and image files from his devices. Cho faces jail time at a County Court pre-sentence hearing scheduled for November.

What Cho admitted to

Cho installed hidden cameras in staff toilets at the Austin Hospital, Royal Melbourne Hospital, and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre between 2020 and 2025. At the Austin Hospital alone, he captured 2,185 intimate images of 541 victims between April and July 2025. The Royal Melbourne Hospital footage showed 277 victims in 720 images from October 2024 to January 2025. At Peter MacCallum, he filmed 50 victims in 81 images in October 2025.

Cho also secretly recorded a single former housemate in 104 videos and 3,424 photographs between October 2020 and September 2021, constituting a stalking offence. Police discovered a strategically placed mobile phone in a mesh bag inside a staff toilet at the Austin Hospital, which triggered the investigation.

How the charges were reduced

Cho was initially facing 910 charges after police discovered the large volume of intimate files on his electronic devices. Prosecutors and defence lawyers agreed to combine multiple charges through a process called “rolling up,” reducing the total to 13 guilty pleas. This included charges of stalking, producing an intimate image, and installing an optical surveillance device. Magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz found the evidence sufficient to support conviction and ordered the case to be uplifted to the Victorian County Court.

Bail conditions and next steps

Cho has been on bail for approximately one year since his arrest in July 2025. His parents posted a $50,000 surety. He is banned from attending hospitals unless in an emergency and has been required to complete compulsory medical treatment. His medical registration was suspended by Australian health regulators in 2025. A three-day pre-sentence hearing is scheduled for November 23, where victims will have the opportunity to provide impact statements to the court about how the crimes have affected their lives.

Defence claims and victim impact

Cho’s defence team has claimed he has complex psychiatric and psychological issues. Last year, prosecutor Russ Hammill told the court that Cho’s offending “borders on the obsessive,” with about 4,500 videos located on his electronic devices at that stage. Dozens of victims watched Thursday’s court proceedings via video link. The court acknowledged their presence, recognising the serious violation of privacy and the trauma caused to over 500 victims identified in the investigation.

Final Thoughts

Cho’s guilty pleas close the evidentiary phase but sentencing remains months away. With over 10,000 intimate files seized and hundreds of victims identified, the November hearing will focus on the severity of his breach of trust as a medical professional and the psychological harm inflicted on hospital staff.

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