A male nurse at Mater Dei hospital has admitted to charges of having installed a hidden camera in female staff toilets at the hospital.

Alexander Borg, 28 from Fgura, pleaded guilty to related charges this afternoon before magistrate Astrid May Grima.

His victims, who are believed to be medical professionals, were “technically not aware” of the intrusion into their privacy, said Inspector Colin Sheldon, prosecuting together with inspector Sergio Pisani from the Cybercrime unit.

Defence lawyer Ishmael Psaila requested a ban on the publication of the name of the accused, which was not upheld even after prosecuting inspector Colin Sheldon did not object.

The court said that it did not see the necessity of the ban and disallowed it.

Inspector Sheldon said he was not insisting on a custodial sentence, but said the man needed psychological help. The department he worked in was planning to offer him this help. Probation was suggested.

Psaila submitted that the man had an immaculate criminal conviction sheet, He said the conduct was criminal and condemnable, but that there were psychological factors at play. He pointed to a previous case of a volleyball coach who had done the same thing to a team of vulnerable people, he had been given a suspended sentence.

A prison sentence would send him 100 million steps backwards, said the lawyer.

A treatment order would be ideal in the circumstances, he said.

The court said it would sentence the accused on Monday.

The images were ordered to be destroyed.

Bail was requested by the defence and not objected to by the prosecution. Borg was released from arrest against a deposit of €500 and a personal guarantee of €5,000. He was ordered to observe a curfew.