A judge has ordered a Duncan-area man to pay more than $93,850 in civil damages following his criminal conviction for spying on and video-recording his stepdaughter while she was undressed in her bathroom and bedroom.
In October 2012, the man, identified only by the initials T.M.P. in the civil ruling, pleaded guilty to voyeurism, and in September 2013 he received a suspended sentence with three years’ probation. T.M.P. was also registered as a sex offender for his crimes against his stepdaughter, identified by the initials T.K.L.
After the criminal proceedings were concluded, T.K.L. sued T.M.P. for damages. The court heard that on four occasions in the first half of 2011, the stepfather surreptitiously video-recorded T.K.L. while she was in the shower and for some time after she left the shower. The victim was 20 years old at the time of the first incident.
T.M.P. was arrested and charged after T.K.L. found the video recordings.
In the civil case, T.K.L. alleged that in addition to the voyeurism, her stepdad had on an earlier occasion tugged off her towels after she left the shower. She argued that this amounted to sexual assault and battery.
In his ruling, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Douglas Thompson found that the sexual assault and battery had not been proved, but concluded that T.M.P. was liable for the voyeuristic acts.
The judge said that the stepdad’s “thoroughly undignified and humiliating” actions had caused his stepdaughter serious psychological harm that has given rise to a variety of troubling emotional and physical symptoms.
“The plaintiff is a young woman who was in her home, a place where she was entitled to feel comfortable and safe. It is not surprising that having a family member so profoundly violate her trust and invade her personal privacy has caused serious harm.”
The judge awarded T.K.L. a total of $93,850, consisting of $85,000 in general damages, $7,500 for costs of future care, $800 for past loss of earning capacity and $550 for special damages.
