St. Albert RCMP has charged a man with 22 counts of voyeurism, and one count of child porn, following an investigation that began several years ago.
In May of 2022, a patron at a St. Albert tanning salon called the police after reportedly seeing a cell phone recording her while she was changing. As officers responded to the scene, they arrested the accused patron and seized his cell phone.
Police released the suspect as they investigated, which led to them discovering 23 videos that allegedly showed 22 victims being reported in the tanning salon change rooms. Officers also discovered a large amount of child porn.
With the help of the tanning salon, police have been able to identify most of the victims who were recorded while they were changing.
In January of 2024, the RCMP arrested the suspect, 37-year-old Matthew Belford, and charged him with possession of child pornography and voyeurism. Belford was released from custody and will be facing court on March 4 in St. Albert.
“This has been a complex investigation requiring our officers to comb through thousands of images, and videos, and link them to specific times, victims, and dates,” said Corporal 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.”
Police continue to examine several more electronic devices that were seized and the original cell phone footage.
