Saanich, B.C., man sentenced in Canada’s largest voyeurism case involving 652 victims

A man caught surreptitiously videotaping a woman in a mall change room has been sentenced for a slew of charges involving hundreds of victims.

A Saanich, B.C., man at the centre of what police describe as the most prolific voyeurism case ever prosecuted in Canada has been sentenced after admitting to secretly recording hundreds of women and girls across Greater Victoria.

Yin Yeung Derek Chan, 39, pleaded guilty to multiple offences connected to covert recordings made between 2017 and 2023, according to the Saanich Police Department’s special investigations section.

Police say the investigation began January 16, 2024, after a detective discovered voyeuristic photos and videos being uploaded from Saanich to a popular image-based social media platform.

Investigators quickly identified Chan as a suspect and noted he had previously been convicted of voyeurism after being caught filming a woman in a mall change room in the Greater Victoria area.

Chan was arrested at his Saanich home on April 11, 2024. Police say investigators seized electronic devices containing thousands of images and more than 28 hours of video.

According to investigators, the recordings were made without consent in locations including businesses, beaches and, in some cases, through the windows of private residences across the region.

Police allege some of the material was also posted online and viewed internationally before it was removed following requests to multiple websites.

After a forensic review of the seized material, investigators identified 652 victims. So far, 40 women and girls have been formally identified and contacted, with some submitting victim impact statements ahead of sentencing.

Chan pleaded guilty on October 1, 2025, to offences including voyeurism, publishing intimate recordings obtained through a crime, making child pornography and breaching court-ordered conditions related to an earlier conviction.

He was initially released with conditions following his arrest, but was rearrested on January 30, 2025, and remained in custody pending sentencing.

Chan was sentenced Thursday in Victoria provincial court to four and a half years in prison. After receiving credit for time served in pretrial custody, he has roughly two and a half years remaining on his sentence.

The court also ordered Chan to provide a DNA sample for the national sex offender registry.

Police say efforts to identify additional victims are ongoing and anyone who believes they may have been recorded is asked to contact investigators at [e-mail].

Greater Victoria Victim Services says it continues to support affected individuals.