Internet blamed in shoe-cam crimes, assailant free on $750 bail

[declan@well.com (Declan McCullagh)]

Toronto Sun, 04sep96

Sneaky photographer charged ...

by Tom Godfrey

A retired high school shop teacher has been charged after
a man allegedly used a camera hidden in his size 12 shoe
to secretly videotape up the skirts of young women at the CNE.

Det. Mike Beauparlant said a man photographed up to 20 women
with his "shoe cam," which contained about seven hours of footage
when he was arrested at the CNE last Saturday night.

Beauparlant said investigators believe he got the idea from surfing
a voyeur news group on the Internet.

He ordered a $400 fibre optic lens and fastened it in a brogue shoe,
police allege.

The Oxford-style footwear contained a false front and two small screws
on the sole to which a bracket and lens were affixed.

"I've never seen anything like this in my 21 years on the force,"
Beauparlant said.  "This was ingenious."

Beauparlant said the body of the camera was hidden in a waist pouch
and connected to the lens on the shoe with wires that ran under a
man's pants and through his sock.

"He always photographed very attractive women in their 20s with short
skirts," added Det. Const. Mike Dicosola.

He said the man was detected by two couples who noticed him moving his
foot under the skirt of a woman.  They followed the man, held him and
called police.

Police ask women who feel they've been victimized to call 808-5289.

George Walter Campbell, 62, of Cornwall, has been charged with sexual
assault and mischief.  He returns to College Park court on Sept. 10.
He was released on $750 cash bail yesterday.

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