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Whether a former Canadian soldier is sent to jail for secretly recording images of an Edmonton woman is now in the hands of a judge.

Craig William Goetz was in Edmonton’s Alberta court of justice Thursday for a sentencing hearing on his guilty pleas to two counts of voyeurism.

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Police charged Goetz, 54, with six offences in 2021 after it was discovered he had placed hidden cameras around the home of the victim, who was underage for part of the three-and-a-half years the voyeurism occurred.

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Police found hundreds of secretly recorded images of the victim when they searched Goetz’s devices, Crown prosecutor Monica Sabo told court. She argued he deserves two years in provincial jail, plus two years of probation, while the defence is seeking a sentence that would spare Goetz jail time.

“This was something he persisted in doing over the course of years, and amassed a collection of over 800 images and videos,” Sabo said.

She noted the images were often edited to focus on the victim’s private areas.

“He literally reduced her to body parts.” 

The victim’s name, as well as an information that might identify her, is covered by a publication ban.

Goetz is a 21-year veteran of the Canadian Forces who was a warrant officer with Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and served on four deployments. He left the army in 2012.

The voyeurism began in October 2017 — when the victim was a teenager — and continued until June 2021. He made “opportunistic” recordings of the victim at her home and in public, in addition to placing cameras in her bathroom and bedroom, Sabo said.

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In a tearful victim impact statement — given behind a wooden screen to prevent Goetz from seeing her — the victim said the abuse has had a devastating emotional, physical and financial impact. She has panic attacks, struggles to sleep and trust others. Sometimes, she thinks it would have been better if Goetz had physically touched her, because then at least she would have known what he was doing.

In her mind, “he’s still watching me,” the victim said. “I know he isn’t, or he couldn’t be, but how can I know for sure?”

Sabo argued Goetz’s crimes deserve jail time. She noted some of the material was recorded when the victim was a youth, and that he took careful steps over the course of years to collect the material and hide his actions.

“These were not crimes of impulse — they were the furthest thing from crimes of impulse,” she said.

Sabo credited Goetz for his guilty plea, but noted it came in the face of a strong Crown case.

Defence lawyer Moira McAvoy suggested a two-year conditional sentence order, to be served under “strict” conditions in the community, in addition to two years of probation.

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She said Goetz has been diagnosed with a voyeurism disorder but poses a low risk of reoffending. She noted he has attended programs including Sexaholics Anonymous since shortly after his arrest and feels “deeply remorseful about what happened.”

Sabo countered there’s no evidence Sexaholics Anonymous provides any kind of legitimate sex offender treatment and urged Assistant Chief Justice Joyce Lester not to impose a conditional sentence in a case so “egregious.” 

She also urged the court to place little weight on the “collateral consequences” Goetz suffered after his arrest, including losing his job and multiple friendships. Sabo said those consequences are “exactly what one would expect for someone who engaged in the criminal activity he did.”

McAvoy also asked Lester to seal two expert reports, and, if Lester sentences Goetz to a jail term, to delay the sentence 48 hours to allow her client to get his affairs in order. Lester denied both requests, saying she had never seen a lower court judge delay the start of a jail sentence.

Goetz hung his head throughout Thursday’s hearing and occasionally wept. During a statement at the end of proceedings, Goetz apologized to the victim, who had left the courtroom.

“My actions were those of a selfish addict who was focused only on satisfying my own lusts,” he said.  

Lester will give her decision Feb. 26. 

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