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A student who secretly filmed more than 20 women on a university campus has avoided jail after one victim spotted his camera while taking a shower.

Doyun Kim, 21, took numerous videos of women around the University of Manchester while they were out shopping for stationary, boarding the bus, getting into a lift or attending a student party. 

He was caught out after trying to hide a phone behind black bin bags in a communal bathroom - which was eventually spotted by another student. 

Police recovered 24 different up-skirting videos on the phone which had been edited with specialist software and taken at various academic buildings around the University of Manchester.

Victims said they were left feeling 'violated,' by the engineering student, who was known to friends as Eric.

At Manchester Crown Court, Kim a South Korean national whose family live in New Malden in South West London, admitted 22 charges of voyeurism and two charges of attempted voyeurism.

He was ordered to complete a 36 month community order, along with the Horizon Sex Offenders Programme and 220 hours of unpaid work. 

He will also be made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for five years. 

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Doyun Kim, 21, secretly filmed women as they went about their lives at the University of Manchester in 2019. He was caught out after one student spotted his phone hidden inside a communal bathroom 

Kim, 21, secretly grabbed numerous videos of women after pointing the device at them as they climbed flights of stairs ahead of him to go to lectures or whilst attending at freshers events.

The first year student was caught after he set up the mobile phone in a communal bathroom at college accommodation to film his contemporaries taking baths and showers. 

In one incident Kim left his phone on a flight of stairs to film up students' skirts as they walked down them. 

Officers managed to trace just four of his victims.

In a statement one said: 'Eric seemed like such a chilled guy - I just can't believe he would invade my privacy like that. I now have to check for hidden cameras whenever I'm getting ready to do out.'

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Police recovered 24 different up-skirting movies on the phone which had been edited with specialist software. Officers managed to track down just four of Kim's victims, who said they were left feeling 'violated' 

Another student said: 'I'm just in disbelief and feel angry and upset. I've not felt the same way since and I've had problems with my relationship because of it.'

The two other students said they were left feeling 'violated.' 

The investigation began in November 2019 after a student at the university found the phone when she turned down a night out to stay in and wash her hair.

Miss Isobel Thomas prosecuting said: 'She went into the bathroom in a bath robe but after taking her towel off she noticed an Apple iPhone X was facing her, which was covered in three small bin bags as a disguise.

'She went towards the phone and noticed it was recording. She saw a thumbnail and it showed the defendant looking at the position in which she would find it. She stopped the recording and deleted the footage and then rang the police.

'Police later got a search warrant and searched the defendant's room. They found and seized a black iPhone X and numerous videos were found. The first was a 1min 24 second video which was edited using the InShot Video Editor application.

'The video captured at the Manchester University's Student Union Welcome Fair. shows a female in a blue and white skirt and with a follow motion tracks under her skirt to see her buttocks. One woman was filmed walking down the stair and he would have successfully captured up her skirt had it not been for the lighting.

'It seems the camera moved towards her face and captures an image of her face, the camera then moves under her skirt but the area is too dark to see. 

'Other videos relate to an unknown female climbing a flight of stairs, a film showing up the skirt of a student bending over and using a kitchen appliance and another showed an unknown woman bending over to get a pizza.' 

Police arrested Kim in January 2020 but he refused to answer questions during his interview. 

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A pre-sentence report concluded he posed a 'high risk' of committing similar crimes in the future. Kim was handed a 36 month community order and told to complete the Horizon Sex Offenders Programme and 220 hours of unpaid work

A pre-sentence report from the Probation Service later concluded he posed a 'high risk' of committing similar crimes in the future and a 'medium risk' of causing harm.

In mitigation defence counsel Kate Blackwell QC said her client had completed a 'Safer Lives' program to address his behaviour and added: 'I cannot disagree with what has been advised in the pre-sentence report especially with the level of involvement that this defendant has had.'

Sentencing the judge Mr Recorder Anthony O'Donohoe told Kim: 'It seems you are quite an isolated individual but this is not a victimless crime. In fact the victims impacted speak of distress and anger because of your behaviour.

'This case clearly passes the custody threshold but it is believed you can be managed within the community, given your young age and you have already taken steps to help your behaviour.'