Man shoots security camera aimed at hot tub

An ill-aimed security camera and a hot tub caused a dispute between neighbours to boil over into a criminal charge last year.

A 38-year-old Regina man pleaded guilty to a mischief charge during a Thursday appearance at Regina provincial court, admitting he discharged a BB gun at his neighbour’s security camera.

Court heard the man’s neighbour called police in July 2017 when he spotted a number of holes in the area of one of his property ’s security cameras. A review of the footage captured by the device revealed the 38-year-old man wielding the long-barrelled gun that caused the damage.

“The situation clearly got out of hand, your Honour,” Crown prosecutor Loreley Berra told the court.

But defence lawyer Tim Beler said there is more to the story. He told the court the incident came in the midst of an ongoing — and apparently continuing — dispute over the placement and aim of the security camera in question.

Beler said his client and his spouse have three kids, two of them teenage girls. It was particularly because of the daughters that Beler said his client reacted the way he did.

Beler said one of the cameras was pointed directly at his client’s deck, upon which he’d placed his hot tub. “His two teenage daughters refused to go in the hot tub,” Beler said.

He told the court his client tried to address the matter with the neighbour, but got nowhere. The man then tried to go to the Regina Police Service and City Hall with his concerns but again had no luck, Beler said.

He said his client acted out of frustration and anger when he finally took matters into his own hands. “He knew as soon as he did it how stupid it was,” Beler said.

The 38-year-old — who had no previous criminal record — received a nine-month conditional discharge, meaning he will avoid a criminal conviction for this offence if he successfully follows the terms of the order.

Among conditions are that he not contact his neighbour, pay $1,000 restitution and write a letter of apology.

Beler said his client has learned his lesson and is now looking into the possibility of pursuing the matter in civil court. But one thing hasn’t changed.

“The camera is still there,” Beler said.

“His daughters and wife still aren’t going into the hot tub ... Unfortunately, I don’t think the story’s over.”