BCIT is reassuring students at its Burnaby campus that their “safety and well-being are very important” after it was discovered that one of its students had been arrested for voyeurism last year.
Tuesday night, BCIT president Kathy Kinloch sent a statement to all students at the school in response to an evening local news broadcast. In her statement, Kinloch reassures students that safety is a priority at the school and that the behaviour described in the newscast “is unacceptable.”
The behaviour stems from an investigation by local Mounties into allegations of a peeping tom lurking in men’s washrooms at the Burnaby campus. Staff at BCIT contacted Burnaby RCMP on Nov. 19, the day after the school learned of the alleged incident, and a safety plan was created in case the suspect returned to campus, Cpl. Daniela Panesar, spokesperson for the Burnaby RCMP, told the NOW.
“He did come back to the school that day, and he was arrested,” Panesar said, confirming the suspect allegedly used a mirror and cellphone to record men in a washroom.
Following his arrest, the suspect was released on strict conditions, and police began an investigation into the allegations. While the investigation is ongoing, Panesar confirmed there are two victims at this time, however investigators believe there are likely others who haven’t come forward yet.
“It might be kind of embarrassing. Maybe some people don’t want to come forward, but we’re appealing to them to come forward, this is going to help our investigation as well,” she said.
There could even be people on the campus who don’t know they are victims, which is concerning, Panesar said. While nothing can be done if someone doesn’t know they are a victim, she said this is a good time to remind people to always be aware of their surroundings.
“I think it’s also an education for people, too, to be aware of this type of offence that could occur,” she added.
The suspect, Chieh-Sen Yang, has been officially charged with one count of secretly observing or recording nudity in a private place for an incident on Nov. 16. He is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 23.
The 23-year-old could face more charges as the RCMP investigation continues, according to Panesar.
Anyone with information about other incidents on campus connected to this investigation or who might have information that could help the investigation is asked to contact Const. Clint Paisley at 604-656-3245.
