A 19-year-old Delaware County man is accused of surreptitiously taking thousands of illicit images, some of which utilized a hidden cellphone camera in a unisex bathroom at Villanova University.
Vincent Kane, 19, of Broomall, was charged with possession of child pornography, sexual abuse of children, criminal use of a communications facility, invasion of privacy and related offenses, according to a press release from Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan.
The investigation began on Sept. 26 when Delaware County Detective Edmond J. Pisani Jr. met with Villanova University Police Chief David Tedjeske regarding a hidden cell phone camera that was found recording in the campus bathroom. Following an examination of the cellphone, it was determined that the phone belonged to Kane, a part-time student at Villanova who resides off-campus, the release said.
On Kane’s phone, investigators found several videos and images of individuals being surreptitiously recorded, including a video aimed to capture images under women’s skirts at the CVS Pharmacy in Broomall. The following day, investigators approached Kane on his way to class and asked him about the cellphone. Kane admitted that he hid it, said he had been engaging in such conduct for about two years, and gave them consent to search a school-issued laptop and his custom built desktop computer, the release said.
Through a forensic examination, Pisani observed a majority of the files on the computers had been moved to an external Seagate hard drive, prompting the execution of a search warrant at Kane’s residence. Detectives said that they found the hard drive hidden in Kane’s bedroom closet and that it contained more than 51,000 images and videos of individuals surreptitiously recorded, including videos captured in a Villanova classroom and at Cardinal O’Hara High School. According to his Facebook page, Kane is an O'Hara graduate.
Many of the videos included audio and captured video of multiple victims and depicted “up-skirt” images taken from June 2015 through Sept. 19 at the CVS store, where Kane worked. Further examination of the hard drive revealed pornographic images and videos of children under the age of 12, including infants and toddlers. One video depicted a toddler being sexually assaulted by an adult male while another showed a female victim approximately 12 years old whom Kane victimized by attempting to capture images up her gym shorts on June 22, 2015, the release said.
"I would like to commend Chief Tedjeske and Villanova University Police for their swift response to this matter of public safety on campus. I would also like to commend Detective Pisani for his efforts in this investigation which revealed Vincent Kane as not only a voyeur but also an individual who exploits children for his own deviant pleasure,” Whelan said in the release. “If convicted, Kane faces prison time and Megan’s Law registration.”
Kane, who is represented by attorney Martin J. Malloy, surrendered to authorities on Wednesday, Oct. 26. He was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Leon Hunter, who set bail at 10 percent of $50,000, which Kane posted. Bail conditions include a psychosexual evaluation, no Internet access, no contact with minors, and no access to Villanova University. His preliminary hearing, initially set for Nov. 3, has been rescheduled to Dec. 22, according to court records.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Pisani at 610-891-4112 or Tedjeske at 610-519-6984.
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