Nova Scotia

NSCAD prof Gene Daniels has 14 voyeurism charges dropped

Halifax art professor Gene Daniels is free of 14 charges of voyeurism stemming from allegations he filmed women using his gallery washroom.

'I didn't think we had a realistic prospect of conviction,' says Crown attorney

Gene Daniels, an associate professor at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, has had 14 charges of voyeurism dropped. (Brett Ruskin/CBC)

Halifax art professor Gene Daniels is free of 14 charges of voyeurism stemming from allegations he filmed women using his gallery washroom.

The Crown withdrew the charges in July, Crown attorney Chris Nicholson said Friday afternoon. 

"I didn't think we had a realistic prospect of conviction," Nicholson said. "I looked at the law and I looked at the evidence, and that was my decision."

On probation for voyeurism

The man, whose full name is Eugene Richard Daniels, was sentenced in March to 12 months of probation and 60 hours of community service for one count of voyeurism.

In July 2014, he invited a former student to visit his Cunard Street art gallery, court found. While there, the woman realized she was being recorded while using the washroom. 

Unpaid leave

At the time of sentencing, Daniels still faced 14 other counts of voyeurism involving 14 different women. He no longer faces any outstanding charges, Nicholson said.

Daniels, 49, remains on unpaid leave from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University in Halifax, spokeswoman Marilyn Smulders confirmed Friday. 

He had taught as an associate professor in the foundation studies program since 2003.

With files from Richard Woodbury