Photo: Alanna Kelly

Angelo Despotas seen walking from the Kelowna Law Courts.

UPDATE: 9:15 a.m.

Angelo Despotas was sentenced to two years in prison for possessing and making child pornography. 

The former Kelowna gymnastics coach was given a 14-month sentence for making the child pornography and an additional 10 months for possessing it. 

Despotas pleaded guilty to hiding a GoPro camera inside a washroom garbage bin and making 10 videos of five young girls. The incidents took place in 2015 at a Kelowna gymnastics facility. 

Additionally, more than 2,040 images of child pornography were found on his computer. 

Following his release, Despotas will be under probation conditions for three years. 

ORIGINAL: Tuesday

A former Kelowna gymnastics coach pleaded guilty Monday to child porn charges involving his students.

Court heard emotional statements from one of his victims, a father of one of the girls, and two mothers.

Angelo Despotas, a trampoline instructor who was registered with Gymnastics B.C., was charged with making 10 videos of five girls, using a GoPro camera hidden inside a washroom garbage bin. He was also charged with possession of over 2,040 pornographic images.

The incidents took place in 2015 at a Kelowna gymnastics facility where the girls were coached by Despotas.

“We had children as young as 11 being abused in the sense of child pornography,” said Crown counsel.

The 48 year old hid a small GoPro camera in the washroom and in one day repositioned it six times.

“When Mr. Despotas is in the bathroom, he is holding his smartphone and looking at it and adjusting the camera in the garbage bin,” said Crown counsel. “The camera was five feet away from the front of the toilet seat, aimed at toilet seat level and operated remotely with live view.”

A police search warrant revealed Despotas' laptop contained over 2,000 pornographic thumbnail images of children as young as babies involved in sex acts.

“There was also images of buttocks of gymnasts in leotards which appeared to be an interest of the collection,” said Crown counsel.

Court heard that some of the athletes had trained with Despotas for years and one of the victims even moved from another country to train under him.

"There was a relationship. He was the trusted if not revered trainer of these young athletes," said Crown counsel. "He put together a steady group of potential victims – his own students."

One victim said for months, she couldn't sleep after being informed of the videos.

“I often saw him more than my parents and thought of him as a mentor… little did I know he was not looking to help me. He was hoping to exploit me in ways I could not imagine,” she said.

One mother said Despotas' actions caused her daughter to attempt suicide.

“When she was younger she wrote stories about he was her hero and how one day he would take her to the Olympics,” said the mother. “Three days after she was informed what happened, she swallowed a bottle of pills. In her mind, her life was over.”

Despotas turned to face the courtroom and apologized.

The judge was expected to make a sentencing decision by the end of the day.