A 67-year-old North Vancouver man who was caught peeping into a woman’s bedroom as she got dressed for work has been handed two years’ probation and told to stay off other people’s property in his neighbourhood.
Eduard Karreman won’t be left with a criminal record, as long as he obeys the terms of his probation order, which include staying away from the woman he spied on and not stepping on to other people’s property in his Deep Cove neighbourhood, unless invited.
Judge William Rodgers handed Karreman the sentence Thursday in North Vancouver provincial court after Karreman pleaded guilty in September to a charge of voyeurism.
Crown prosecutor Arlene Loyst told Rodgers that on Dec. 6, 2016, a woman who lives in the area looked out her window one morning while she was getting dressed for work and saw Karreman crouched down outside, looking in at her. The woman screamed and Karreman ran away.
A neighbour spotted him running away from the property. When confronted, Karreman said he’d been looking for his cat.
Loyst said neighbours had been keeping an eye on Karreman after a similar incident in September 2016 when the woman had previously seen someone looking in her window, but hadn’t seen that person’s face. At that time, a neighbour had spotted Karreman walking away from the woman’s home wearing a hoodie, said Loyst. “They basically put two and two together,” she said.
Police spoke to Karreman at the time and warned him to stay away from the property.
Loyst said the incident has prompted concern among neighbours.
“I think it’s fair to say there’s been a lot of talk and concern and scuttlebutt in the neighbourhood,” said the prosecutor.
Loyst said after the first incident, the woman kept her blinds closed. But on the day of the second incident, it was snowing. “It was just a beautiful morning,” said Loyst, and the woman wanted to see the scene outside.
Loyst said the woman has experienced depression and anxiety since Karreman spied on her. She asked the judge for a suspended sentence.
Karreman’s defence lawyer Jonathan Waddington said his client regrets his behaviour and has no criminal record.
He added Karreman’s wife left him after the incident.
In addition to orders to stay away from the victim, Rodgers ordered Karreman to take counselling as directed by his probation officer, pay a $2,000 victim fine surcharge and provide a DNA sample.
