Teen had suspicions, recorded Kelowna firefighter spying on her in shower | iNFOnews

June 29, 2023 – 7:00 PM

A 16-year-old girl who was spied on while in the shower by a former Kelowna fire captain had already suspected something wasn’t right.

Her suspicions led her to set up her cell phone and hit record while she went into the bathroom and took a shower.

The phone captured what she had suspected.

A day later former Kelowna fire captain Jason Todd John Stoodley was arrested and charged with voyeurism.

On June 28, at the Vernon courthouse, Crown prosecutor Matt Blow played the footage the teen filmed while a seemingly emotionless Stoodley sat in the public gallery.

The video showed Stoodley dressed in a t-shirt and shorts walking up to the bathroom door and pointing his cell phone through a glass window above the door. He then puts his hands into his shorts and touched his penis.

The entire incident lasted for about two minutes.

“The purpose of this event was for his own sexual gratification,” Crown Prosecutor Matt Blow told the court, describing the voyeurism as an invasion of her sexual integrity.

The court heard that Stoodley didn’t record the teen showering and police searches of his electronic devices didn’t unearth any video or pictures of the teen.

While the court heard how the teen “suspected something was up,” there was no mention of why she came to that conclusion.

The Crown prosecutor argued Stoodley watched her in the shower and should do three to six months in jail.

READ MORE: Lake Country man guilty of filming women with camera hidden in bedroom

The victim’s name is covered under a court-ordered publication ban and iNFOnews.ca has been purposely vague about some details to protect her identity.

The incident left the teen with feelings of fear when changing or showering, and she had the feeling of eyes on her, the court heard.

“There’s no sugar coating what happened,” Stoodley’s lawyer Julian van der Walle, told the court. “He took her innocence.”

The lawyer said Stoodley was extremely remorseful, and said he would plead guilty straightaway.

The 51-year-old had been with the Kelowna Fire Department for 20 years but lost his $120,000-a-year position months after his arrest.

van der Walle said Stoodley had “lost his identity” and felt he “had no hope.” He’d gone into severe isolation since the arrest, became depressed and had suicidal ideation.

The court heard how Stoodley was divorced with two grown-up daughters both at university. Prior to being a firefighter, he’d served time in the military and worked as an electrician for several years.

Since the incident, he’s had little contact with his daughters.

The defence lawyer said everyone who knew Stoodley was shocked when they heard about what happened and he’d been a productive member of society.

The court heard how Stoodley had complex post-traumatic stress disorder, in part from having survivor guilt after seven colleagues were killed during a military training exercise which he survived.

van der Walle said Stoodley took full responsibility for his actions which he described as “shameful” and “disgusting.”

Since the arrest, he’s paid for more than 40 counselling sessions which cost him in excess of $10,000. He wanted to continue but was running out of money.

In 2021, Stoodley was awarded the Fire Services Exemplary Service Medal from the Governor General of Canada.

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The defence submitted Stoodley should receive a conditional discharge followed by lengthy probation. This would mean he wouldn’t have a criminal record as long as he didn’t breach the probation.

The Crown argued for jail time saying a certain amount of planning had gone into the voyeurism as Stoodley had purposely waited for the teen to get into the shower.

The proceedings were adjourned and Stoodley will be sentenced next month.

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