(ADAM PROSKIW / iNFOnews.ca)

A Lake Country man has been found guilty of voyeurism for secretly videoing his new girlfriend in his bedroom using a hidden camera disguised as a smoke detector.

At the Kelowna courthouse Monday, Dec. 12, provincial court Judge David Ruse found 37-year-old Brian Earl Mills guilty of secretly recording his girlfriend, and on a separate occasion another unidentified woman, using a hidden camera in the summer of 2020.

Earlier during the trial, Mills had argued the hidden camera was there for security reasons and not to secretly record the women.

However, Judge Ruse dismissed Mills' testimony.

"The only reasonable inference to be drawn from the evidence is that the purpose of the hidden camera was to record a person exposing her genitals or anal region or breasts or engaged in sexual explicit activity," the judge said.

The couple had been together for several months when Mills' girlfriend – whose name is covered under a publication ban – noticed a second smoke detector had been installed in his bedroom.

Mills told her he got the second smoke detector because the other one was broken but he was evasive when asked why he hadn't gotten his landlord to fix the original one.

The girlfriend had also pointed out the dummy smoke detector was in the wrong place, which she knew because she was currently doing renovations to her home and had recently installed new smoke detectors.

Again, Mills brushed off the question.

Not long after the dummy smoke detector was installed the girlfriend found its box in Mills laundry hamper.

The box read "Dummy smoke detector security camera with night vision."

The girlfriend then confronted Mills about the hidden camera.

Mills told her it was for security as he had a handgun and $5,000 of silver coins in his bedroom closet. He also said there was "no video of us anywhere."

The girlfriend left Mills' home and went straight to the police.

RCMP later searched the property and discovered footage from the camera uploaded to Mills' computer.

Along with footage of the girlfriend in Mills bedroom, police also discovered footage of another woman who has still not been identified.

Judge Ruse said Mills had argued he camera was purely for security and he had another camera outside his home and one in the kitchen.

However, Judge Ruse didn't buy it.

The judge said Mills had on several occasions asked his girlfriend to video them in bed and for her to send him nude pictures, but she had refused.

Judge Ruse also pointed out that the hidden camera didn't capture the bedroom door or window.

"The position of the hidden camera as installed did not meet the security needs as articulated by Mr. Mills, it did, however, capture any activity sexual or otherwise that occurred on the bed," the judge said.

The court heard Mills worked as a wielder and had since moved to Fort St. John.

Ultimately, Mills was found guilty of secretly recording his then-girlfriend and the other unknown woman.

The court ordered that Mills undergo a psychological assessment and he will be sentenced sometime in the new year.

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