Man facing 22 charges of voyeurism after recording women in St. Albert tanning salon
Posted February 23, 2024 11:42 am.
RCMP in St. Albert have charged a man in connection to a reported voyeurism incident at a tanning salon in May 2022.
Mounties say they received a report from a woman claiming she saw a cell phone being raised above a 3/4 length wall as she was changing.
Officers responded at the time, and the accused was identified, arrested, and his cell phone was seized. At the time, he was released pending an investigation.
A further investigation into the suspect uncovered 23 videos showing 22 separate victims being secretly recorded while changing at the tanning salon.
Mounties were also able to uncover a large amount of child pornography.
On Jan. 30, RCMP re-arrested the suspect and executed a second search warrant at his home. During the search, officers seized more electronic devices.
Since then, 37-year-old Matthew David Belford has been charged with possession of child pornography and 22 counts of voyeurism.
He is expected to appear in court on March 4.
RCMP says despite the charges, the investigation is ongoing.
“This has been a complex investigation requiring our officers to comb through thousands of images, and videos, and linking them to specific times, victims, and dates,” said Cpl. Terrence Willard of the St. Albert RCMP Detachment. “Although this investigation is still ongoing, we felt that we were in a position to move ahead with charges.”
Mounties note, with assistance from the tanning salon, most of the voyeurism victims have been identified.
