Calgary man behind CanadaCreep Twitter account pleads guilty to voyeurism for up-skirt videos

The Calgary man who operated a CanadaCreep Twitter account that posted videos and images up the skirts and down the shirts of unsuspecting women has pleaded guilty to voyeurism and child pornography.

Calgary police began investigating in June 2017 after receiving complaints about the CanadaCreep account, which had posted hundreds of secretly recorded images of women's bodies over the past year. 

On Thursday, Jeffery Williamson, 44, pleaded guilty to charges of voyeurism, distribution of voyeurism and possession of child pornography.

Before he was sentenced to two years in prison by provincial court Judge Catherine Skene, Williamson offered an apology to his victims.

"I would like to take this time to offer my sincerest remorse and deepest apology to those affected by my actions," he said from the prisoner's box. "I am seeking help and I wish to continue to get better day by day."

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Williamson had posted photos and videos of Calgary women on city streets, in parks and in the +15 elevated walkway network.

Although the CanadaCreep account was quickly suspended after the investigation began, it had amassed about 17,000 followers since it was created a year earlier.

Because of the number of the Twitter account's followers, this was "one of the largest [voyeurism] distribution cases that we've seen," said prosecutor Jenny Rees.

Co-workers contacted police

Two men who worked at the same company as Williamson recognized him as being behind the account and contacted police officers, who then charged him with voyeurism-related offences in connection with about 30 videos filmed up women's skirts.

At the time, police described the thousands of other posts — mainly of women's backsides and chests — as disturbing and inappropriate but not illegal.

As police continued to pore through Williamson's seized electronic devices, investigators also found a number of child pornography images and videos.

Defence lawyer Susan Karpa said her client began therapy immediately after his arrest on his own accord and is committed to addressing his issues.

On top of his two-year sentence, Williamson will also remain on probation for two years after his release. 

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