B.C. man with attempted kidnapping conviction sentenced for voyeurism at community pool
CTV
A British Columbia man who was previously convicted for the attempted kidnapping of a 13-year-old girl has been sentenced to 18 months in jail after he tried to watch a woman shower at a community pool on Vancouver Island.
A British Columbia man who was previously convicted for the attempted kidnapping of a 13-year-old girl has been sentenced to 18 months in jail after he tried to watch a woman shower at a community pool on Vancouver Island.
Mark Istephan, 52, was found guilty of voyeurism in January, eight months after he was arrested at the Sooke and Electoral Area Parks and Recreation Commission (SEAPARC) recreation centre in Sooke, B.C.
At trial, Western Communities provincial court Judge Ted Gouge heard that the victim – who is identified only as Z.R. in court documents – had been swimming at the community centre on the morning of May 4, 2023.
After returning to the gender-neutral change room and showering in a private cubicle, she saw the shadow of a man in the adjoining cubicle "who appeared to be attempting to observe her by peering through the space between the bottom of the cubicle wall and the floor," the judge wrote in his decision published Thursday.
The woman fled the change room and reported the incident to the reception desk. Police were called and Istephan was arrested.
"The evidence at trial convinced me that he was the person in the adjoining cubicle and that he had attempted to watch Z.R. as she showered and dressed," the judge found.
"Z.R. was terrified by the incident, and continues to suffer anxiety as a result of it, particularly when using public recreation facilities."
