Sobbing Japanese peeping tom jailed over Australian Open pictures

A Japanese student who took photographs underneath a woman's skirt at the Australian Tennis Open earlier this week was today jailed for six months.

Takuya Muto, 34, also secretly filmed up to five females as they showered at a backpackers' hostel on Tuesday.

Melbourne magistrate  Peter Couzens ordered that Muto serve a minimum of two months' jail and suspended the balance of the sentence for two years.

The court heard that police who arrested Muto found he had taken pictures of a female tennis player his lawyer described as "legitimate, tourist-style" photographs.

Muto, of Sydney, pleaded guilty to charges of stalking, unlawfully using a camera and offensive behaviour.

Sergeant Mark Galliott, prosecuting, said Muto took photographs and filmed with a video camera as he walked around the tennis centre.

Sergeant Galliott said some of Muto's photographs were of the thigh and buttocks areas of female patrons and of one who wore a dress.