A man is facing charges after he allegedly took pictures of a girl in a change-room stall next to his at the Pan Am Pool this weekend.
Police were sent to the Grant Park facility shortly before 5 p.m. Saturday.
The Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Monday that a man used a cellphone to take pictures of a 10-year-old girl “in various stages of undress” in a stall in a universal change area.
The girl’s father saw the man taking pictures and notified staff. Officers arrested a man at the facility.
“Luckily, the dad was right there watching and observed this happen,” said WPS Const. Stephen Spencer. “This 10-year-old wasn’t alone, which is the best thing that could have happened, given the circumstances.”
Colin Gauthier, 26, of Winnipeg, has been charged with voyeurism. Gauthier, who is not known to police, was released on a court order prohibiting contact with people under age 16.
Police said Gauthier was able to take the pictures from over the walls of the stalls, which had doors on them.
Spencer said Saturday’s incident is a reminder to the public to remain diligent in public spaces, especially pools.
“It’s just the reality,” he said.
The city said on Monday that they take concerns about patron safety seriously.
“Recreation employees participate in training in partnership with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, which includes direction to respond to reports of odd or unusual behaviours (including filming in change areas, which is not permitted) and to conduct regular facility scans.
“We encourage the public to report any concerning behaviours to any employee at our facilities to assist us in providing a safe environment,” a spokesperson said.
Last month, police arrested 47-year-old Paul Unciano at the YMCA-YWCA’s Elmwood-Kildonan branch on Kimberly Avenue after allegedly exposing himself and sexually assaulting two teen boys in the common area of the changing room at the facility.
Unciano, a senior financial analyst with Manitoba Health who sits on the board at the Philippine Canadian Centre of Manitoba, was charged with two counts of sexual assault, sexual interference and indecent exposure.
Unciano is under a court order prohibiting contact with people under age 18.
In another incident, a former Winnipeg teacher and educational support worker was charged in October in connection with alleged offences at Seven Oaks Pool.
Police searching the man’s phone discovered hundreds of videos and photos, some of which featured adults and children in “various stages of undress” in the pool’s family change room.
The alleged offences at the pool are believed to have happened in April 2023 and May 2024.
Matthew James Mousseau is accused of several offences against five victims, all girls aged 12 to 17, including three students in a program in which he was their mentor, according to police, who launched a months-long child abuse image and sexual exploitation investigation last July.
The charges in all three cases have not been tested in court.
scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca
Scott Billeck
Reporter
Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024. Read more about Scott.
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