Yin Yeung Derek Chan spent six years secretly recording 652 women and children across southern Vancouver Island in what officials claim is the largest case of voyeurism ever reported in Canada, according to court records and public statements. Chan, a 39-year-old who came to Canada from Hong Kong as a child, carried out the surveillance through house windows, downtown Victoria stores, and local malls before his arrest in 2024 and subsequent four-and-a-half-year prison sentence handed down in May.
According to court evidence presented by Crown prosecutor Paul Cheeseman, Chan worked as an Uber Eats delivery driver and used the job to access apartment building laundry rooms, where police later discovered thousands of pairs of women’s underwear, many of which were used. Chan also has a prior history of recording women secretly, including a 2019 incident where he was caught filming inside a Forever 21 changing room.
Court records show that Value Village in Victoria was targeted for more than 400 victims, while roughly 80 people were filmed at local Walmart locations. Additional recordings occurred at Greater Victoria businesses—such as Indigo Books, Munro’s Books, Shoppers Drug Mart, Michaels, Mayfair Shopping Centre, Hillside Centre, and the Bay Centre mall—alongside locations like Willows Beach in Oak Bay and residential windows in the James Bay, Fairfield, and Hillside neighbourhoods.
Did You Know?
In the year prior to Chan’s 2024 arrest, court records show the voyeur created more than a video a day, uploading footage and photos of victims to social media, porn sites, and a personal website that accumulated over a million views before it was taken down.
Impact on Victims and Their Families
Victim impact statements read in court detailed profound psychological distress and disrupted lives. One woman, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, described being contacted by Saanich police in January 2025 after an officer recognized her in a seized video taken inside an Indigo Books store. She recalled feeling deeply unsafe and experiencing intense anxiety in public spaces afterward.
Other survivors told the judge that the crimes ruined their sense of security, forced changes in clothing choices, and hindered their ability to maintain employment or trust others. One victim who was underage when recorded working at a mall reported that the incident triggered past trauma, causing her college grades to drop and forcing her to withdraw from her studies. Another family member described the heavy burden of deciding whether to inform a 15-year-old girl that her image had been filmed at Mayfair Shopping Centre and posted on child pornography websites.
Expert Insight
Deputy Chief Const. Damian Kowalewich said in a statement that “the scale of this case was unprecedented and the impact on victims cannot be overstated,” adding: “We recognize that once material has been distributed online it may not be possible to remove every copy, which remains an ongoing concern for many victims and represents an additional layer of victimization.”
Online Distribution and Ongoing Challenges
Despite Chan’s conviction and sentence, Cheeseman stated that many of the illicit recordings remain accessible online across social media, explicit websites, and file-sharing forums. Prosecutors noted that while authorities managed to remove material from Chan’s personal website and Flickr, tackling distributed copies hosted by third-party users presents significant enforcement hurdles.
Damian Kowalewich acknowledged the unprecedented scale of the investigation, stating that once material is distributed online, removing every copy may not be possible. Reddit and other platforms did not respond to media inquiries regarding specific posts connected to the user name Chan utilized during the six-year recording period.
What May Happen Next
As the legal proceedings conclude following Chan’s May sentencing, affected individuals and advocacy networks face ongoing hurdles regarding digital content removal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Yin Yeung Derek Chan?
Yin Yeung Derek Chan is a 39-year-old who came to Canada from Hong Kong as a child and worked as an Uber Eats delivery driver. He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison in May after a six-year voyeurism spree targeting 652 women and children on southern Vancouver Island.
Where were the victims filmed?
According to court records, victims were filmed at numerous locations including Value Village in Victoria, local Walmart stores, Indigo Books, Munro’s Books, Shoppers Drug Mart, Michaels, Mayfair Shopping Centre, Hillside Centre, the Bay Centre mall, Willows Beach in Oak Bay, and residential windows in the James Bay, Fairfield, and Hillside neighbourhoods.
Are the videos still online?
Yes. Prosecutor Paul Cheeseman and police noted that while some material was removed from Chan’s personal website and Flickr, many photos and videos continue to circulate across social media and pornography websites because third-party users downloaded and reposted them.
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