A 19-year-old Queen’s student has been charged with voyeurism and theft, according to a statement released by Kingston Police (KP) on Thursday.
The accused’s housemates originally contacted Kingston Police in February concerning the alleged theft.
One of the male housemates found some of his missing belongings in the accused’s room along with possessions belonging to two other female housemates and “surreptitious video recording devices,” according to the KP release.
On Feb. 29, uniform patrol officers arrested Parker D. Sawadsky for two counts of theft and two counts of possession of stolen property. After reviewing the video surveillance equipment, the police informed detectives.
The arrest, “was a bit unique in this instance as it originally was in relation to theft,” KP Media Relations Officer Steve Koopman told The Journal via email.
The day after the student was arrested, detectives were granted a search warrant.
“The patrol officer did the right thing by advising detectives who obtained a search warrant to seize any relevant items lawfully,” Koopman wrote.
Detectives seized video surveillance and computer equipment from the accused’s room. The items were forensically examined by Electronic Crimes staff, which led to the discovery of a video that was deemed voyeurism.
According to the release, the footage shows the inside of a Toronto house “where seven women were surreptitiously recorded in various states of undress.” Investigators “strongly believe” that the footage is from the summer of 2015.
The women have been identified and confirmed to live in the Greater Toronto Area. None of them have any known connections to Kingston.
As a result of the discovery, Sawadsky was also charged with voyeurism. According to Koopman, five years imprisonment is the maximum sentence for voyeurism if the Crown proceeds by indictment.
The maximum sentence for theft under $5,000 is two years imprisonment, according to Koopman.
Sawadsky has attended a bail hearing and has been released on a recognizance with special conditions until his next court date.
Tags
crime, News in Brief, Voyeurism
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