ADFA cadet faces 260+ charges for alleged spy camera installation

Tain Stewart Stephens, a 20-year-old former cadet at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA), faces more than 260 charges following an investigation into a hidden camera discovered at the Canberra facility in May 2026.

It is alleged that Stephens installed a spy camera inside a soap dispenser in a shared bathroom to film women. The device reportedly contained a wireless transmitter, a camera, and an SD card. Investigators believe the footage may involve up to 46 different people. Police also noted that 17 other soap dispensers across the academy had been tampered with, though no further recording devices were found.

During a recent hearing in the ACT Magistrates Court, prosecutor James Melloy stated that 181 additional charges were laid, bringing the total to 261. These new charges include counts of possessing, controlling, producing, supplying, or obtaining child abuse material through a carriage service, as well as capturing intimate visual data. Stephens has previously entered not guilty pleas to several charges. His legal representative requested a 10-week adjournment to review the new allegations.