Suspect arrested for allegedly recording males in 30 GTA public bathrooms
Posted August 9, 2023 1:22 pm.
Last Updated August 9, 2023 2:34 pm.
Halton police’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit has charged a man who allegedly “recorded male victims for sexual purposes” in public bathrooms across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
Police say on March 23, a 13-year-old boy went to the bathroom of a Cineplex Cinemas at 2081 Winston Park Drive in Oakville, and observed a male suspect filming him over the top of the bathroom stall.
Through a police investigation, the suspect was identified and on April 1, Robert Russell, 30, of Brampton, was arrested in Oakville.
He was charged with voyeurism and was held in custody pending a bail hearing at that time.
After further investigation, it was determined that between October 2021 and March 2023, Russell had attended around 30 locations across the GTA and one location in Montreal, which included sporting events, movie theatres, and public pools, where he allegedly entered men’s public washrooms and recorded unknowing male victims.
The victims ranged in age from around three years old to adults.
Due to the new evidence, Russell was re-arrested on Aug. 3 and was charged with additional offences of voyeurism, making child pornography and possession of child pornography.
Russell has once again been held in custody pending a bail hearing.
