Up-skirt shots earn site ban

Steven Graham has stopped working at Auckland University. Photo / Jason Dorday

A company director caught taking sneaky photos up women's skirts has been working on a construction site at Auckland University - without disclosing his conviction.

Steven "Grimes" Graham was sentenced last month to 24 months' intensive supervision for making an intimate visual recording. He was arrested after he swung a bag containing a camera under a Korean tourist's skirt several times on Auckland's Queen St. When he was caught, police IT experts found photos taken up the skirts of seven other women.

He fled photographers outside the court, and changed his OldFriends.co.nz social network profile to claim he had moved out of his $840,000 St Heliers house and was now living in Australia.

However, the Herald on Sunday has learned that he remains in Auckland, and was subcontracted to work on a building development at the university. When the university was alerted to his record, he was banned from the site.

The covert recording conviction was not his first: in 1995 he was sent to prison for unlawful sexual connection with a girl under the age of 12.

He subcontracted to Argus Fire Protection Ltd until last year, when Argus terminated the relationship. The company would not say why, but a source said management was unhappy at learning of Graham's criminal record.

This year, he has been subcontracting to AFS Total Fire Protection around Auckland, installing fire alarms.

But when the university was told of his background, a source said, "they were horrified and he was banned from site".

This week, an Auckland University spokesman confirmed Graham, of SE Graham Electronic Ltd, had been employed as a subcontractor on the Thomas Building extension.

"Once property services at the university were made aware of the circumstances around Graham's arrest, the main contractor was asked to prevent the person from continuing on the site," the spokesman said. "Graham did not return to the site thereafter."

But an AFS manager, who refused to be named, said the company would continue to use Graham as a subcontractor.

"Am I supposed to tell Steven his children can starve and his wife can go to hell?

"We contract him on sites where there are no women around. He mostly works on construction sites where there are mostly men. I wouldn't send him to a women-only gym. He is a very smart man. He is competent with a good brain and very professional."

He added: "It has been known in the industry for a long time that he was caught up with some kind of sexual carry-on."

Auckland University Students' Association president Joe McCrory said the university should review whether it needed to background check all contractors who work on the campus.

He praised the university for acting as soon as it became aware of Graham's background.

"When contractors, or anybody, come on site, student safety is paramount. We rely on the appropriate safeguards to be taken when people are employed to work around students," he said.

At sentencing last month, Graham told the court he offered his "sincere apologies" to his victims, the court and his wife. "I take full responsibility for what I have done," he said.

SEEKING STEVEN

Has Steven Graham finally left New Zealand? Or is he living anonymously, perhaps away from St Heliers, perhaps with a different appearance?

Do you know his whereabouts?

Do you have an old photo of him?

Email news@hos.co.nz