The Penticton Community Centre pool is pictured in an undated file photo.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED

A young Penticton man who snuck into a family change room at the Penticton Community Centre swimming pool complex and snapped photos of a naked 14-year-old girl pleaded guilty to voyeurism and possession of child pornography, Monday.

Zachary Sarault, 24, who had no previous criminal record, admitted his criminal behaviour minutes after the incident to the victim’s mother, apologized deeply for his actions in court and said he’s been taking counselling to ensure something like this never happens again.

After four hours of submissions from Crown attorney Ann Lerchs and defence counsel Paul Varga, Justice Dennis Isaac Ferbey said he wanted to review the evidence and submissions before making his decision on sentencing.

That decision is not expected to take place for at least one month as Ferbey said he wanted ample time to review the case and Crown and defence submissions.

Lerchs asked for a jail sentence of two years less one day, to be followed by three years of probation with strict conditions. She also asked Sarault to be placed on a national sex offender registry.

Varga asked Ferbey to consider a conditional sentence to be served in the community, to be followed by a lengthy period of probation.

Lerchs told the court that on the evening of Jan. 25, 2024, a local woman, her teenage daughter and a young baby went swimming at the community pool.

While the woman and her daughter were in separate change rooms, Sarault was observed “speed walking” before entering an adjacent change room stall.

When the teenager looked up, she observed a cellphone was aimed towards her and she could see herself on the screen, said Lerchs.

She alerted her mother as to what had happened and the mother started looking, but lost sight of a man walking rapidly away from the change room area.

However, she found him near the pool area shortly thereafter and confronted Sarault.

RCMP officers were called and arrived on the scene and eventually Sarault was arrested and his cellphone seized, said Lerchs.

The images on the cellphone confirmed the teenager was naked and Sarault had also taken a selfie of himself inside the stall he was in, she said.

A victim impact statement by the girl’s mother said this incident had a devastating impact stating “my daughter’s innocence was taken away” in a public place where she should feel safe.

— This article was originally published by the Penticton Herald

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