Illegal backpackers’ inn owner caught spying on women’s shower

A man who ran an illegal backpackers’ inn in southwest China has been detained for spying on female guests as they took a shower, local media has reported.

The man, surnamed Liu, was given nine days’ detention on Thursday after he confessed to spying on the young women as they took a shower.

He was also given a 500 yuan (US$75) fine for operating the guest house near a railway station in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, without police approval, Chengdu Business Daily reported.

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The report said he was caught last month when a male guest found him lying on the floor in a kitchen next to a bathroom, peering through a hole in the wall.

Liu had initially denied the claims, saying the guest surnamed Gao was trying to frame him after a dispute over his bill.

But local police announced on Thursday that Liu had finally confessed to spying on his guests, many of whom were female students looking for a cheap place to stay.

When police visited the Cosy Home Inn they found a hole in the kitchen wall that would allow someone to spy on people taking a shower.

They also examined Liu’s phone and found several naked photos of women, the report said.

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“I had gone into the kitchen to wash my hands when I saw Liu in there, lying face-down and peering through a hole in the wall into the adjacent bathroom,” Gao told the newspaper.

As he walked out of the kitchen, he heard sounds of running water coming from the bathroom. When he knocked on the bathroom door, a woman’s voice responded to say it was occupied, he said.

The guest house, which charged just 30 yuan a night, was shut on Saturday.