An Auckland businessman who secretly filmed 14 women during sexual encounters and later uploaded recordings online for money has been sentenced to 31 months in prison.

Shafkat Mahbub was sentenced in the Auckland District Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to 24 charges — 14 involving the making of intimate visual recordings and 10 relating to recordings he uploaded online.

Mahbub, a married father of two who moved to New Zealand from Bangladesh in 2007, previously worked as an accountant and established a recruitment business.

The offending occurred over a four-year period. Mahbub concealed recording devices before sexual encounters and secretly recorded the women without their knowledge or consent.

Ten recordings were subsequently uploaded to websites. Between August 2023 and March 2024, Mahbub earned $3,521.19 from videos uploaded to one website, according to court information reported by The New Zealand Herald.

As per NZ Herald, Judge Debra Bell said the offending had caused extensive psychological harm to the victims, many of whom were left fearful about who had seen the recordings and whether the footage could ever be completely removed from the internet.

The judge described Mahbub’s conduct as showing “a striking absence of empathy” and a “callous disregard” for the wellbeing of his victims.

Two victims, both sex workers in their 20s, told the NZ Herald they had no idea they were being secretly recorded during encounters with Mahbub at Auckland hotels.

One victim said she immediately recognised several friends who were also sex workers after discovering one of the videos online.

One recording featuring her had reportedly been online for about two years and had attracted more than 100,000 views.

She said the discovery had severely affected her work and left her constantly worried about being secretly filmed again.

Another victim said footage of her appeared on a European pornography website and described the discovery as causing overwhelming fear, shock and distress.

She said the experience had affected her personal and professional life and left her experiencing symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Court documents reported by the NZ Herald said Mahbub would sometimes meet women at Auckland restaurants before arranging sexual encounters at hotels.

He regularly rented rooms at a hotel and allegedly concealed recording equipment before the women arrived.

It is reported that in one case, Mahbub positioned his mobile phone to record a woman during a sexual encounter without her knowledge. The footage was later distributed online.

In another case, a woman became suspicious about Mahbub’s insistence on positioning himself in a particular part of a hotel room. Recordings from the encounter were later uploaded to multiple websites, exposing the woman’s identity without her consent.

After five victim impact statements were read in court, he turned towards the women and quietly apologised.

His lawyer, Joon Yi, said Mahbub was remorseful and had written letters of apology to victims who wanted to receive them.

The case has also prompted renewed warnings about covert recording technology. Annah Pickering, regional co-ordinator for the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective, urged sex workers to remain alert to hidden cameras and other devices and to establish clear rules with clients about phones and recording equipment.

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