A former Richmond Mountie convicted of multiple sex-related offences will not be getting bail while he appeals his sentence.
The man was sentenced to two years in jail in Ontario for 33 counts of voyeurism.
A publication ban is in place on his name to protect the identities of witnesses and victims.
His crimes took place “over a lengthy time period” and “required a significant degree of prior planning,” wrote Ontario Court of Appeal justice Bradley Miller in his decision published last week.
“He surreptitiously recorded images and videos of women in multiple locations, generally while they were showering or using the toilet,” Miller added.
The recordings were done without the victims’ knowledge and were stored “on USB storage devices, indexed according to body parts” and accessed regularly by the man for his “sexual gratification.”
Miller found the man was “not an opportunist” and had a “lengthy history of pre-meditated acts of domination of women and girls for the purposes of his sexual gratification.”
The man was charged with multiple counts of sexual assault as well, but a mistrial was declared after the trial judge fell ill. The prosecution has since told the court that it intends to retry the man on the charges, although some will be stayed instead.
Meanwhile, the man was convicted of unrelated offences in another jurisdiction and was re-arrested for allegedly impersonating an RCMP officer when he was out on bail while waiting to appeal his sentence.
Man behaved in antisocial manner while on bail: Judge
The man’s bail application was opposed by the prosecution, who told the court granting the man bail would “undermine public safety and public confidence in the administration of justice.”
Justice Miller agreed with prosecution.
He found there were public safety concerns since the man had “carried on in a very antisocial manner while on bail.”
He was not confident that the man’s sureties would be able to supervise him adequately and “prevent him from causing further harm.”
“Although a two-year sentence is not substantial, it is the longest sentence yet imposed for voyeurism offences,” wrote Miller, who found the man’s convictions were “part of a pattern of serious and escalating conduct.”
“The (man) does not appear to have taken any responsibility or demonstrated any appreciation of the gravity of his conduct or its impact on other people.”
