Cape Breton Monastery head monk pleads guilty to voyeurism charges

The head monk of a Buddhist monastery in Shambhala in northern Cape Breton has pleaded guilty to a charge of voyeurism with a camera in a shower.

Jack Hillie III, 37, entered the plea of ​​guilty on Tuesday when he appeared in Port Hawkesbury County Court via video link from Florida.

Judge Nicole Rovers, at the request of attorney James Giacomantonio, ordered a presentence report and scheduled Hillie’s sentencing hearing for November 7.

Giacomantonio, who also remotely participated in the proceedings, said he and Hillie will appear in court in November.

He said his client is collecting documents that will be handed over to the Crown before the sentencing hearing.

“The Crown has, I think, given us their ceiling, but is willing to review it once they receive our documents,” Giacomantonio told the court.

“We expect a contested conviction with the Crown likely to ask for a suspended sentence to be served in the community. … If we can come to an agreement before then, we will inform the court about this in advance.”

A Texas man was staying at Gampo Abbey in Pleasant Bay in November 2021 as part of his monastic ordination when he noticed a camera on the wall while showering.

The man said he took the camera out of the wall and brought it to Hillie, who admitted the device was his.

The man reported it to Cheticamp RCMP and Hillie was later arrested and charged.

According to court documents, the crime was committed between December 2020 and November 2021.

Last month, the man filed a civil suit in the Nova Scotia Supreme Court against the Gampo Abbey Monastic Society, which owns the monastery, and the Shambhala Canada Society.

The suit alleges that a USB stick associated with the camera contains multiple videos of the complainant and other residents of the monastery using the shower.

The defendants knew or should have known that invasions of the abbey’s privacy were taking place and failed to take reasonable steps to mitigate the risks, the lawsuit says.

Valent Law of Halifax filed the lawsuit on behalf of the former resident. Attorney Basia Sowinski urged other people residing at the monastery to contact her to determine whether to join the lawsuit.