Doctor struck off for spying on people with secret cameras hidden in Airbnb

A doctor who secretly spied on 30 different people through hidden cameras installed in his home has been banned from the profession.

Ju Young Um was jailed for 18 months for hiding tiny cameras in air fresheners and a smoke alarm in the bathroom and spare bedroom of his flat in Hyndland in Glasgow, which had been partially rented out on Airbnb.

The 34-year-old also discreetly filmed a friend and doctor at staff accommodation in Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.

The anaesthetist, who also worked in Glasgow, denied any wrongdoing.

A hearing by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service has ruled that Um had shown “limited insight” into the crime and had taken “very few remedial steps”.

They stated that there was “high risk of repetition”.

It was concluded that Um should be erased from the medical register.

Ju Young U hid tiny cameras in air fresheners and a smoke alarm in the bathroom COPFS

During his trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court in April 2025, Um claimed he has body dysmorphia – a condition where sufferers obsess over apparent flaws in their appearance. Um said this was only diagnosed after he was arrested.

The doctor insisted that he was born with a small penis and used the footage to compare with other men.

However, a jury decided that Um’s acts were done for his sexual gratification.

He was found guilty of a total of 23 charges under the Sexual Offences Act between November 2020 and August 2023.

Hidden cameras were discovered inside the plastic containers COPFS

Of his 30 victims, 21 were men, and nine were women. Three of the men and one woman were doctors.

The court heard that Um initially recorded his first victim in secret with a mobile phone through a window while he showered.

Um later attached a camera to a smoke alarm of the fellow doctor’s bedroom at the hospital.

The footage also captured intimate footage between this man and his partner.

Ju Young Um, 34, hid tiny cameras in air fresheners and a smoke alarm in the bathroom COPFS

Um rented out his spare bedroom to others at the Hyndland property on Airbnb.

He told jurors in his evidence that he was diagnosed with “suspected gigantism” when he was a teenager which was “possibly” why he had a “small penis”.

Jurors heard that Um did not seek medical help until 20 years later.

Um, of Hyndland, was suspended from working as a doctor after the allegations came to light.