‘It’s creepy’: Durham police seek suspect involved in filming women’s behinds

Brandi Williams says a friend sent her a link to “CanadaCreeping,” a Tumblr page, saying a photo of her was on the page. The 17-year-old opened the website and found a picture taken of her from behind, she says, without her knowledge at the Oshawa Centre, and she recognized herself when she saw her shoes.

“It’s creepy,” said the teenager from Oshawa, Ont. “I wanted to know who it was and what that site was about.”

The blog had featured photos, all allegedly taken by an unnamed person at Durham Region’s largest shopping centre, of women’s behinds. The hashtags included “juicy” and “teen creepshots,” but all of the media appears to have been removed.

Christeen Thornton, also from Oshawa, Ont., drew attention to the blog by posting about it on Facebook to warn people about the site, and her post has been shared more than 1,000 times. “I was really surprised that somebody would be doing that at a mall that I personally frequent with my daughter,” said Thornton.

“I felt like I was being violated,” says Williams. “As a young girl…I feel like I don’t have any privacy in the world anymore.”

Williams says a friend anonymously sent a tip to police about the site, but officers say they have not yet identified its creator.

Police say because the footage was allegedly taken at the mall, which is a public space, whomever filmed the media may not have necessarily broken the law. In order to lay charges, those photographed need to talk to police and claim they’ve been violated, police say.

“They would need to come forward to us to be interviewed for us to get a better understanding if they’re feeling like they’re victimized…if they’re feeling harassed,” said Dave Selby, a spokesperson for the Durham Regional Police Service. “When you’re in public domain or you’re in an open, public place, there is a limited expectation in terms of what your privacy is.”

According to the Criminal Code, someone can be charged with voyeurism if that person makes a visual recording of a person in secret and there is a “reasonable expectation of privacy” in that circumstance. The recording also needs to be done “for a sexual purpose.”

Williams says that after seeing the footage of herself, she will likely avoid posting on, and even scrolling through, social media. “It has gotten to the point that I don’t want to even go on anymore.”

Durham police are asking anyone who recognizes themselves in the footage to contact them or Crime Stoppers.