A Nanoose Bay man who can't be named to protect the identity of his victims avoided jail time after admitting to setting up a secret video camera in his family home. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

breach of trust

Top Stories of 2021: man sentenced for planting secret bathroom camera capturing family members

Dec 18, 2021 | 8:56 AM

NANAIMO — Public outrage was swift for one of our most read stories of the year.

Details of a Nanoose Bay man secretly installing a video camera in the main bathroom of his family home draw widespread condemnation.

The unidentified man in his late 50’s was sentenced on March 30 2021 after he plead guilty a voyeurism offence in relation to several videos he orchestrated early in 2019.

His elaborate scheme involved drilling holes from the basement to feed wires to the bathroom above.

He transferred nine videos to his computer, resulting in two victims: the offender’s partner and his 15-year-old step daughter.

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Most of the footage captured the unsuspecting teenage victim as she showered and changed.

The twisted effort collapsed within days when the offender’s adult daughter noticed a light shining toward her as she showered.

He was handed a suspended sentence and one year probation, meaning the offender’s actions resulted in a criminal record.

The offender’s wife was the intended target of the highly invasive crime, he claimed.

Judge Ronald Webb wasn’t convinced.

“I’m wondering at what stage does he realize that? And why doesn’t he solve that if he realizes he’s capturing his daughter,” Judge Webb said.

Court was told the man was fired from his job as a social worker after his arrest and is no longer employable in that industry.

While calling the offender’s actions a severe breach of trust, Judge Webb said a paramount concern of his future employability shouldn’t lead to lighter sentence.

“I’m satisfied in all of the circumstances that a discharge in these circumstances is not in the public interest,” Judge Webb said.

The emotional offender apologized for his actions in court.

He was kicked out of the house and welcomed back into the family home more than a year after the incident following intensive counselling.

A pre-sentence report stated the man is a low risk to re-offend and while he had a prior traumatic brain injury, a diagnosis was not stated.

The story enraged our readers and radio listeners who were concerned a breach of trust to this magnitude didn’t lead to a more severe punishment.

In this case the offender immediately owned up to his actions and made significant progress during his post-offence therapy.

Understandably, case law and the circumstances of the offender didn’t align with the temperature of the public.

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