KITCHENER — A fourth-year University of Waterloo student who was monitoring an exam and secretly took photographs of a female student as she was writing the test was sentenced to two years of probation in court Thursday.

Peter Jung, 22, of Mississauga, pleaded guilty to a voyeurism charge.

Justice David Carr said Jung's behaviour was "highly and totally inappropriate."

"Your conduct is clearly appalling," Carr told Jung.

Carr said taking photographs up the female student's skirt was a "significant breach of a person's privacy."

"You had no right to do what you did," he said. "The victims were unknowing, but that doesn't make it right."

Court heard that Jung, a kinesiology student, was proctoring the exam and surreptitiously took photographs up the woman's skirt as she wrote the test on July 23, 2014. The student did not notice but another student did and notified the professor.

Jung was arrested two days later and told police at the time that he "let his emotions get away from him."

Police seized his cellphone, his computer and hard drive, and on them, police found more than 30,000 images and movies that were taken up women's skirts.

Court also heard the Jung had been taking photos of at least five other female students during the past four years.

Jung, who was accompanied by his father and a close friend, received a suspended sentence. He was ordered to continue with counselling and his name will automatically be on a provincial sex offender registry for 10 years.

Defence lawyer Sean Safa said Jung was "extremely remorseful" for his actions. He was immediately suspended from the university and moved back home with his parents in Mississauga. He wasn't able to graduate, he said.

Jung, who doesn't have a record, is now working as a personal trainer.

Safa said Jung did not intend to harm anyone. But rather he may have been "pushed" into viewing the photographs for his own satisfaction because his mother is "extremely religious" and has strict rules on dating and sexual activity.

Jung's mother is not aware of his arrest and criminal charge.

Safa, who was looking for a conditional discharge for his client, said a doctor's report stated that Jung is at a low risk of reoffending.

"This is an incredibly smart young man who will have a criminal record. This is a huge setback," Safa said.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Crown prosecutor Cynthia Jennison asked Carr to consider jail on weekends.

She said Jung's inability to see taking secret photographs as illegal is a worry.

"The lack of consent is a concern," she said.