Can anyone speculate why it was wrapped in a toilet paper roll?

That seems odd, especially since it would dampen the sound recording

I wouldn't call it a "roll". There's an image in the sfstandard.com article. It is odd. Looks more suspicious than without it.

	▲	nl 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		The text says "concealed in toilet paper" and the pic looks like a mostly empty toilet roll to me. But maybe he didn't put a case on the device? I think if he'd 3D printed something or wrapped it in black tape it would have been a lot less visible. I wonder if it was found when someone was trying to plug a cable into the TV?