A nurse at the University of Alberta hospital has pleaded guilty to two counts of voyeurism after a hidden camera was discovered inside a gym shower.
In November 2016, a notice was posted by management of The Pulse Generator at the University of Alberta Hospital Employee Fitness and Recreation Centre, stating a camera was in place from November 27 at 5 p.m. until November 28 at 9 a.m., when it was discovered and removed.
In an agreed statement of facts submitted to the court Monday, Jason Soundara, 26, admitted to putting the cameras in the male locker room shower.
READ MORE: Hidden camera in U of A Hospital gym shower records 7 men, 1 person arrested: memo
Soundara worked as a nurse at the hospital emergency room at the time.
“The locker room is the primary change facility for males using the hospital’s staff fitness centre,” the statement reads.
It goes on to say the camera installed looks like a wall outlet and was stuck to the wall underneath a soap dispenser; it contained a five-day rechargeable battery with a SD card to store video.
The camera was discovered by a man in the shower; it was turned over to hospital security and then Edmonton police.
Police found pictures of seven naked men on the SD card, the first of which was the accused “wearing his hospital scrub, and attaching the outlet to the wall. The accused can be seen looking directly into the camera, removing tape from his breast pocket, walking back to the camera and placing a strip of tape on the camera.”
Soundara was identified from the video by the human resources manager at the hospital.
In a videotaped interview with police, Soundara “confessed to purchasing and installing the camera and mentioned that he did so because he liked one of the males who frequently showers in the facility.”
Soundara will be sentenced September 11. He is currently not in custody.
On Wednesday afternoon, AHS released a statement to Global News that reads, in part: “We encourage those feeling distress regarding this incident to reach out to their manager or leader, employee and family assistance services, or other supports provided through professional colleges and unions.”
Spokesperson Kerry Williamson said Soundara is no longer an AHS employee.
-with files from Karen Bartko
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