Teen jailed for recording videos up woman’s skirt at grocery store

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The woman whom Caleb White followed around a Sarnia grocery store, secretly recording cellphone videos up her skirt, had no idea it was happening at the time.

She was shocked to learn from police what White had done and to see surveillance video of him tailing her around the Real Canadian Superstore on Aug. 18, 2023, with his cellphone strategically secured to his backpack.

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“To have watched someone follow me around unknowingly is the grossest feeling, and from that I will probably never recover,” she wrote in a statement read in court.

The woman added she felt extremely violated and it was scary and sickening to think what someone so young – White was only 18 at the time – may be capable of doing when he’s older.

Justice Mark Poland, who recently sentenced White, now 19 and with some lifelong mental-health concerns, to 139 days in jail and three years probation, called his behaviour ridiculous. He said it’s important he gets the message that this type of behaviour stops here.

“It stops now,” the judge said sternly.

The court heard White started following the woman inside the busy Murphy Road grocery store just after 5 p.m. that Friday. The former St. Patrick’s secondary school student had his phone secured to the front of his backpack with the camera facing up. As she bent over to reach for an item off the shelf, he slipped the backpack underneath her skirt.

White, who didn’t pick up any groceries or buy anything, continued following her to a checkout register, where he again placed the bag underneath her skirt. The woman can be seen on video turning around and looking at him at that point, but she didn’t say anything – they were strangers – and didn’t appear to see what he was doing.

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But a loss-prevention officer at the store did notice the suspicious behaviour and alerted police after watching the surveillance video. Sarnia police officers went to White’s house two days later to arrest him, but had to get a warrant as he wasn’t home.

White pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of voyeurism, but his sentencing was adjourned multiple times and only concluded recently with the approximately 4 1/2-month sentence. At one point, assistant Crown attorney Aniko Coughlan and defence lawyer James Guggisberg both suggested a five-month sentence, but, in a rare move, Poland was considering not accepting their joint submission.

Instead, he adjourned the case and gave White a chance to earn a house-arrest sentence instead. To do this, he had to take steps to turn his life around by taking his mental health medication, stopping use of marijuana, alcohol and other drugs, doing counselling, and behaving well.

Poland told him he’s made terrible decisions by stopping his prescribed medication and doing recreational and illegal drugs.

“It’s stupid. It’s wrecking your life,” he said. “I’m concerned about this young man’s behaviour and how it impacts the community, but I’m also concerned about him.”

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But Sarnia court staff confirmed White didn’t get house arrest as he recently was sentenced to 139 days in jail.

White’s grandmother previously told the court he’s had issues since he was a little boy, including a learning disability, and they’ve gone to countless doctors and professionals for help to change his behaviour.

“I don’t know what to do. We don’t know what to do. We’re begging for help. I’m begging for help, for my boy,” she said before becoming emotional.

White apologized.

“I’m sorry to everyone that I’ve hurt in this process and everything,” he said.

tbridge@postmedia.com

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