A mother was horrified after her 5-year-old son found a hidden camera in a Starbuck’s toilet.
The woman said the mobile phone camera had been placed beneath a washbasin inside a cubicle of the ladies’ toilet, with the video function left running.
The phone was discovered at a Starbucks in Lancaster, California on Thursday and police are now investigating the incident.
The unnamed woman has described the incident as a “violation” of her privacy and didn’t realise she was being filmed until her son spotted the device inside the toilet.
Speaking to KTLA 5, she said:
My son used the restroom first and I used the restroom after him. I noticed he was staring at the sink a little bit perplexed. I asked him what was wrong and he said, ‘Mommy, why is there a phone under there?’
It’s such a violation of privacy. Not only of mine, but my son.
When she looked under the sink, the woman says she saw a phone propped up by paper towels with the camera pointing at the toilet.
She immediately notified the coffee shop’s employees, who then contacted the police.
Starbucks spokesman Jaime Riley said:
We are disturbed by this incident and take our obligation to provide a safe environment for our customers and partners (employees) very seriously. Our store partners took swift action as soon as they became aware of the incident by immediately alerting the Sheriff’s Department of the situation.
It is not yet clear where the video was being sent or how long it may have been hidden and recording, which is a particularly worrying thought!
