Sentencing underway for ex-B.C. minor hockey player who hid camera in girls’ change room

Sentencing is underway for a erstwhile Trail, B.C., insignificant hockey subordinate who placed a hidden camera successful a girls’ changing country astatine a West Kootenay arena 2 years ago.

Garrit Charlie Ciardullo, 23, pleaded blameworthy to 1 number of secretly observing oregon signaling for a intersexual purpose successful May. A 2nd kid pornography complaint is expected to beryllium stayed.

Ciardullo, a erstwhile subordinate of the Greater Trail Minor Hockey Association, was employed astatine the Fruitvale arena erstwhile helium hid the instrumentality successful a girls’ alteration country astatine Fruitvale’s Beaver Valley Arena successful November 2022.

The tribunal has heard that the radical of 10- to 12-year-old hockey players noticed a compartment telephone concealed successful a ace successful the changing room’s ceiling.

On Wednesday, a Rossland courtroom heard unfortunate interaction statements from immoderate of the players and their families — nary of whom tin beryllium identified due to the fact that the girls are minors.

“The information of that abstraction is thing I thought nary 1 could instrumentality distant from maine oregon my teammates, but you person managed to bash that,” said 1 of the statements.

“Looking backmost present astir 2 years agone it inactive brings backmost those atrocious feelings that I felt,” added another. “Some of america breaking down successful tears due to the fact that we were truthful frightened and worrying astir the what-ifs,” the tribunal heard.

The tribunal heard Wednesday that Ciardullo was depressed and addicted to pornography and that helium knew what helium did was incorrect and disgusting.

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His defence said Ciardullo was not disputing making the recording, but that his lawsuit didn’t cognize minors would beryllium successful the room. Crown, however, said that Ciardullo worked astatine the arena, had entree to the schedule, and should person known who would beryllium utilizing the space.

It besides heard that a doc who conducted a psychiatric appraisal could not diagnose pedophilia. Ciardullo was besides deemed a debased hazard to re-offend.

Outside the court, 1 of the girls’ fathers said helium was disappointed with the proceedings.

“An apology missive was work today, it didn’t look precise genuine, and it was precise generic successful nature,” helium said.

“I decidedly made an effort to look him successful the eyes arsenic I was stepping down from the basal and helium didn’t adjacent person the decency to look up. truthful for that reason, I didn’t truly place immoderate benignant of remorse that helium expressed astatine all.”

Ciardullo himself declined to remark arsenic helium near the courthouse.

The Crown is seeking a six-month jailhouse term, portion Ciardullo’s lawyers privation a conditional discharge, which would travel with nary transgression record.

A day to proceed the sentencing proceeding has not yet been set.