Monk sentenced to jail for voyeurism in Cape Breton monastery

The head monk at a monastery in Cape Breton has been sentenced to two months in jail for making video recordings of residents while they were showering.

Jack Hillie III, 37, of the Shambhala Buddhist monastery in Pleasant Bay, pleaded guilty in July to a charge of voyeurism.

Hillie was sentenced in Port Hawkesbury provincial court Tuesday to 60 days in prison.

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

The man said he pulled the camera out of the wall and took it to Hillie, who admitted the device belonged to him.

Hillie was later arrested and charged.

The victim has filed a civil suit in Nova Scotia Supreme Court against the Gampo Abbey Monastic Society, which owns the monastery, and Shambhala Canada Society.

The suit claims a USB stick associated with the camera contained multiple videos of the complainant and other residents of the monastery using the shower, and that the defendants knew or ought to have known that privacy intrusions were occurring at the abbey and failed to take reasonable steps to mitigate the risks.

After Hillie is freed from custody, he will be on probation for 12 months. He was also ordered to forfeit a laptop, camera and SD card used in the offence.