Man
arrested for allegedly filming kids at West Van's aquatic
centre
27-year-old could face charge of possession of child porn
Lena Sin, The Province
Published: Wednesday, May 30, 2007
The arrest of a 27-year-old man allegedly caught surreptitiously
filming children at the West Vancouver Aquatic Centre has
renewed concerns about the perverse use of camera phones.
Police are recommending a charge of possession of child
pornography against Beau Stephen of Surrey.
The charge relates to a photo of a naked youth that police
allegedly discovered on Stephen's cellphone after responding
to a complaint at the pool last Saturday afternoon.
Pool staff called police after they saw a man aiming
his cellphone at children playing.
The aquatic centre bans cameras and cellphone use in
the pool area.
When confronted by staff, Stephen left. Police found
him nearby and seized his phone.
On it they allegedly discovered, in addition to footage
shot of children at the West Van pool that day, three
videos of children in swimming pools, one video of a female
on the SkyTrain, two videos of females in a shopping mall
and one photo of a naked person apparently under age 18.
Police are working with the RCMP Integrated Child Exploitation
Team.
"We're asking people to be vigilant," said
West Van police spokesman
Cpl. Fred Harding. "As far as we know it's not a
widespread epidemic. But we don't have the numbers on
how much this is going on, and for parents who are with
their children in the park and beaches, we just want people
to be aware."
Stephen, who has not been charged, was released from
custody on a promise to appear in court on Sept. 5.
Rising incidents of phone peeping, including one called
"up-skirt" in which a digital or video camera
is used to snap photos up a woman's skirt, led Parliament
to introduce new legislation in 2005.
Bill C-2 made voyeurism an offence punishable by up to
five years in prison.
While Vancouver and West Van ban camera and cellphone
use at their pools, swimming facilities in Richmond and
Coquitlam do not.
"It's a disturbing thing to hear," said Karen
Jones, co-ordinator of aquatic services in Richmond. "It's
worth a discussion on whether we need to be more proactive."
Patricia Leslie, West Van's communication manager, says
staff at the pool have a hard time enforcing the ban because
parents often want to take photos of their children in
the pool.
"That's the challenge for us," said Leslie.
lsin@png.canwest.com
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